Yuka's day out
by Aqua Rosewater
Summary: The life of someone on the outside of the wrecking crew looking in, and the chaos that she slips into. Please, Please, Please Review! Is it good? Bad? Talk to me!
1. Yuka's Day Out

**Disclaimer: Xian Pu is not my property. Yuka is not my property. I wish Mousse was my property. Actually, there is not a single character in this fic that belongs to me.**

**That said, it was written 'cause I was toying with this idea for way, way too long. The plot has even been thought of at least once before, I'm sure. If it has, I haven't had the pleasure of reading it. I'm not through with the Manga, and I haven't seen the Anime. I'm working on it! Honest!**

* * *

I watched Akane walk off with her fiancée. Well, I should say, I watched Akane swipe at Ranma once with her bag and follow him down the street. No, that's not right either! I watched Akane swipe at Ranma with her bag, and he leapt up to the fence, with Akane chasing him, craning up to look. At any rate, they were gone.

And I was left alone on the street. When you're not a martial artist in Nerima, it's never _really_ safe to walk alone with all the Jusenkyo victims hanging around. Oh, and the Kunos. And the creepy old guy that lives with Akane… Happosai. That is his name, right? Not that I mind, they can be pretty entertaining, when they don't come near me. I just have to keep out of their way. Which is usually pretty easy, if I apply myself.

But not today. Nope, there's some kami up there laughing right now.

The girl from the Nekohatten with purple hair bounded past me followed by someone I had seen challenge Ranma at least once before. He might be cursed. I haven't really figured it out yet, Akane's been pretty unclear about it. The girl turned, gave the guy a kick in the jaw, and I saw his glasses skitter across the street. With that, plum-top left. I was standing face to face with a trained martial artist.

His hair swept past his shoulders as he glomped me. I struggled in his grip, trying to get to the glasses on the other side of the alley. The position looked more compromising than it actually was. Really! The worst part was, the more I struggled, the tighter he held. Well, at that point in time. I didn't want to think about what he would do to me. I shut my eyes and braced myself, fire lighting my cheeks. I was falling prey to my worst nightmare…

"Xian Pu." I snapped out of it. I struggled again.

"Xian Pu, I love you." He… he thought I was someone else! If I could only get to those glasses.

During his profession of love to the person Xian Pu, I swept my leg out, feeling for the glasses. Success! In my struggling, I had managed to move us to the other side of the street. My arms, however, were still pinned to my sides.

He began speaking in Chinese. You know, I started taking Chinese a couple years ago. If only there hadn't been that one year in between. I'm sure it was poetry. In fact, I'm absolutely certain it was a poem I had to read in my class. The poem had to do with flowers blooming in all their glory as the sun washes over their petals. Some of the words, they were so… unfamiliar.

That was when I made my second mistake. I looked into his eyes, and said, "Really?" The mandarin word slipped from my lips and I felt the pressure on my arms lessen.

He released me just long enough for me to stoop and shove the glasses in my bag. I should have run. Right then. As soon as he released me. But I didn't. And he grabbed my hands.

"Yes, Xian Pu," he continued in Japanese, much to my relief and dismay.

The look of longing on his face was just like the look I had seen so many times I had seen on Kuno-sempai when talking to Ranma-chan. And I, damned that I am, should have just handed him his glasses and walked off.

But his hands were so kind and gentle.

And I knew, I KNEW better.

But no, I had to keep going. He had just whispered some poetry meant for someone else into my ear, and I enjoyed it.

Flattery meant for someone other than yourself is always sweeter than none at all.

We walked down to the park together. Despite myself knowing that I was probably taking advantage of the poor guy's confusion, I took him to the park and sat him by a tree. He kept speaking in tongues, and I responded with the basics.

What was it I had been told? Smile, and nod. Smile, and nod. Not a word. Not if you can help it. I'd catch a phrase here, only to remember what it meant later. He called the "valley" lovely. Now, You know and I know that the park doesn't have a valley. It has trees, and lots of them. And a river. Maybe, just maybe if you squinted reeeeally hard you'd see some formation of a valley. Of course, you'd have to have terrible eyesight. Like mystery man.

Huh, did I just call him "Mystery Man"? Well, I guess it works better than "Ranma's Rival". That's saved for the kid with the bandana.

I really should have left him by the tree. If there was any time I should have left him after the poem, it would have been by the tree just before he started talking again. But I didn't. It wasn't until the minute I heard the word "love" in Chinese, I snapped out of it again.

I jerked up.

"Xian Pu? What is wrong?"

That clinched it. I couldn't pretend to be someone I wasn't any more. I wouldn't let myself.

"A Lie." I stood. My body was tingling with the urge to stay, to say so much more. Why? Because it would have been so easy. I found myself wondering if Akane had some "Instant spring of Xian Pu" I could borrow. Yeah, 'cause that's reeeeeal plausible.

Mystery Man was on his feet before I could reach into my open bag. He glomped me again.

I fought off his embrace; his guard must have been let down too far. The hurt on his face begged me to explain, although I knew I couldn't do it!

"I- Xian Pu- Can not do this." With that, I fumbled in my bag, grabbed the glasses, and threw them at his chest. I ran around the tree while he reached for my wrist. When he had chased me around three times, I felt my resolve and legs weakening. I slipped against the tree, and let my hand fall next to the glasses. Letting my fingers caress them, the close around them, I saw Mystery Man sit next to me again.

"Why?" He asked it again, only in another language.

"No." I shook my head violently. Then that chick with the purple hair reappeared. Plum-top.

"What stupid Mousse doing?"

That was the only distraction I needed. I fled, throwing the glasses to his friend. I guess she was a friend. I mean, they seem to have a lot to do with each other.

And then I came home.

Silly, isn't it.

You know, I didn't think that having a duck for a pet would be such a good idea. You are fun to have around, though. I mean, it's not like you're a Jusenkyo victim or anything, but I think I know why Akane keeps a pet pig…

Why, D-chan, You're trembling!

* * *

**All right, Reviews, comments, and criticisms are all welcome. Flames are not. Sorry. If you think Yuka was OOC, or Mousse for that matter, tell me what I could do to change it. Oh, and it was Yuka. Really. I don't really know much about either of Akane's friends, but Yuka seemed like the more obvious choice for me.**


	2. Taking back MuMu Chan

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything concerning Ranma ½ except my manga books Vols. 1-7 and 9-11. Vol. 8 was bought by my sister and I have yet to pay her back. Yuka, Mousse, and all characters in this fic are best read (and seen) in the Ranma ½ saga by Rumiko Takahashi. Not me. Got it?**

**All right, I changed it to third person 'cause it's easier for this chapter. So sue me. You'll still only get my socks. And you still don't want them.**

* * *

Yuka's mom called up the stairs, "Yuka, you have a visitor!"

"I'll be down in a minute, mom!" She turned to the still shaking duck. "Hmm- wonder who that can be. You stay here. I'll bring you something to eat in a bit."

She closed the door carefully, apparently oblivious to the tapping of beak-on-door sounds. The poor Jusenkyo duck was barely able to restrain himself from using the hidden weapons in his arsenal to get out of the room. Last time he had tried that, he managed to puncture a hole in her air mattress.

It wasn't until Yuka was halfway down the steps that she realized she had no idea who was at the door. She had assumed it was Sayuri. The thing was, usually her mother just sends her friends up to her room when they drop by. She didn't have any school projects due with her study group, and she wasn't really expecting anyone.

So you can imagine her surprise when she saw a Ranma-chan standing in the doorway with Akane close by.

"Hello, Akane. Ranma. Come in." Both girls took off their shoes and walked into the living room while Yuka continued. "Let me guess, hot water?"

"Actually, no."

Yuka paused at the kitchen door, turned around, and walked back to her friends. This day just kept getting weirder and weirder.

"Genma told us that he sold a duck he found on the street for some spare yen and a case of sake to your father." Akane was absolutely livid as she spat Genma's name. She quickly changed from anger to worry. "Yuka, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Why? Is there something wrong with it?"

Ranma-chan and Akane exchanged glances.

"Well, you see," Ranma-chan began "it's sort of tough to explain. His name is Mou-"

"Mu-chan," completed Akane, elbowing her fiancée quickly in the ribs. "Mu-Mu Chan and he belongs to a Chinese Cir-"

"-tain young amazon waitress who would be absolutely heart-broken if she didn't get back her pet duck." The daggers that Akane was mentally sending Ranma-Chan's direction didn't seem to be making their mark.

Yuka watched all this going on, taking mental notes of all their behavior. 'They really do fight a lot.' But at the same time, there was something very wrong going on. She looked from Akane to Ranma-chan, and back to Akane. There was a determination in them that would not be denied. And she had nothing to fear from Akane. Akane wouldn't lie to her. Not Akane.

"I- I'll get D-Cha- er- Mu-Mu Chan." She swallowed.

She wasn't quite sure how she made it upstairs. She had only had D-Chan/Mu-Mu Chan for a week, and now he was being taken away from her. What if there was something seriously wrong with him?

'Is he important to some sort of quest they're on? No, that doesn't make sense. Ranma and Akane never lie about that sort of stuff.'

She opened the door and D-chan fell out, lump on his head from bumping into too many things. She carefully knelt in front of the white duck to pick him up.

"Well, I guess this is good-bye."

D-Chan honked forlornly. Yuka chuckled to herself, cradling the duck carefully in her arms.

"Yeah, I'll miss you. If you don't miss me, I'm sure that's cause the other person will take great care of you." She squinted at the duck in her arms. "Hmm… You know, I wonder if there's more to you than Akane and Ranma are letting on."

If a duck ever had a frightened look on his face, it appeared at that moment.

Yuka either didn't notice it, or passively disregarded it.

Which was fine by the duck's standards.

She carried the snowy bundle of feathers to Akane and Ranma-chan.

As a last-ditch effort to keep her new pet, Yuka tried to say something fairly offhand and flippant: "How is Genma going to pay for that case of sake from the transaction?"

Ranma-chan's hand shook slightly. "I'll make sure pops pays up. How much was it?"

Yuka shrugged. "I dunno. 10,000 Yen, give or take. Probably give. But you're my friends, and I guess there was no real harm done." She watched as Ranma-chan reached for the duck and got bitten. Yuka tapped Mu-Mu Chan on the beak. "Behave yourself," she chided the duck. "You're going home."

A flicker of restraint crossed her mind, and Yuka handed Akane Mu-Mu Chan.

"Are you sure you don't want hot water?" Yuka asked weakly.

"Nah, we'll be fine." Ranma-chan was still rubbing her hand.

"Thank you, and sorry about all of this."

"Hey, no problem Akane." She started to walk her friends to the door. "Just- Just make sure she takes good care of him."

She watched them walk away. 'Good bye,' she mentally called to her pet duck. 'Good bye, my D-Chan'

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**Even as I'm writing this end-note, I know that Ranma and Akane are sort of OOC. Yuka might be too- but I don't know unless I hear it from you!**

**All right. I posted another chapter. Now you can tell me what you think. Please? Pretty Please? With Okonomiyaki sauce on top? Flames are not welcome. Sorry, Charlie. If you think it was bad, tell me what I can do to change it. If you think I should add another chapter, review!**


	3. MuMu Chan & PChan & RanmaChan, Oh My!

**Disclaimer: I still own my socks. No one has sued me and triumphed. I dare you to try. I'm telling you right now that I don't own any of the bishies or chicas from Ranma ½ any more than I own the 8th volume of the manga. Hammerspace© belongs to somebody, but I don't know who!**

**This chapter is in (dun dun dun) Third Person... **Person... _person..._

**(a scream is heard in the background) Yes, third person. I am exercising my right as an authoress to not use first person although I lapse into it every now and then throughout the text.**

* * *

Muu Tsu looked over Akane's shoulder, his duck eyes blurry. Not that blurry vision was unfamiliar to him. It wasn't as bad has his human vision.

His thoughts were all over the place, as he watched the fuzzy gray and blue street. And he was trying to keep them on Xian Pu. And not trying to think of what that girl had told him. And failing miserably.

After all, he had professed his love to some strange girl who knew he was looking for Xian Pu. There wasn't as much of a struggle as usual. They walked to the valley- the park! The park in Nerima. Since when was there a park in Nerima? Obviously since this afternoon. And all the time he was enveloped in the haze of being near. . . Xian Pu? No! He quacked irritably aloud. It was that girl. He had betrayed his beautiful Amazon warrior for a girl whose face he never saw clearly.

A girl who had been feeding him every night since Genma had sold him to her father. Of course, she'd find him in the strangest places. Curse the old woman who blesses doorsteps with water. Curse her dozens of times over. Curse the doorstep of her house. And Ranma too, this was entirely his fault. The Jusenkyo duck wasn't quite sure how, but it was.

While Muu Tsu was lapsing into thoughts about maiming Ranma with any number of his items of destruction, who should wander into their path but Ryouga!

"RrrrAAnMAAAaaaa! This is all your fault!" He pulled his umbrella off his back and started to battle without further prelude.

"Hey, P-Chan, What's up?" Ranma-chan dodged as the lost boy tried a direct hit to the redhead.

Akane, still shielding duck-boy, was wondering what Ranma did to Ryouga. It must've been awfully bad. Even so, the rivalry had been going on so long that no-one could really tell. She let it go on until Ranma-chan had maneuvered Ryouga to a position that cannot be put on paper. It was then that the aquatransexual felt the shining aura of Akane as she pulled one of her famous mallets from hammerspace.

"uuuuh…" He slowly turned around.

"QUIT PICKING ON RYOUGA!"

Soon Ranma-chan was on an express trip to the Tendo dojo, which was fine with him. Even Nabiki didn't believe that Genma had sold Muu Tsu to Yuka's father until she saw a white bundle of feathers being carried by Yuka home from just in front of the Tendo dojo.

"Hey, old man!" Ranma-chan burst into the Tendo dojo looking for a large panda. Genma usually stayed in panda form if he didn't feel like facing the world or had done something looked down up on in Neriman circles. (And between you and me, we know that's not really hard to do. Especially if you're Genma Saotome.)

Upstairs and downstairs, though, there was not fur nor tail of said martial artist. Happosai was, however- and he was tasting the different brands of sake from the case. Never mind that it was a "variety case". He was proved more than willing to try them all. Despite his condition, he was in no fit state to slip into "drunk-fu", so Ranma (having found a tea kettle of hot water left on a burner) was able to extract some information from the tiny drunkard. Of course, it required changing back for a brief five minutes of excruciating glomping and rear pinching, but nothing worse than he'd received from Kuno.

'So pops and Mr. Tendo had decided to go on a little training trip.' He mused to himself as he hopped rooftops in order to find Akane. 'How very convenient. Luckily I ain't got the time to mess with him.' He assumed that she'd be taking Muu Tsu to the Cat Café. Little did he know just how right he was.

"Ding ding," rang out a bell on a bike. Ranma froze for the one second that was required for Xian Pu to run him over.

"Nihao, Airen!" She glomped him faster than the speed of light. Physicists are still trying to find out how she did it. "Airen take Shampoo on date, yes?"

"Let me go, Shampoo." He slid out from under her arms and began to slowly back away.

Funny thing about roofs. You can only back away so far before your feet don't have anything behind them. And when you do run out of room, and you lose your balance, you have no-where to go but down.

So Ranma did.

He regained his balance for a decent landing, right in front of Akane and "Mu-Mu Chan".

She grabbed his hand without really thinking about it, and wordlessly dragged him to the Cat Café, duck semi-cradled in one arm.

Above, on the rooftops, Xian Pu watched. "Airen-"

* * *

Meanwhile, Sayuri had called Yuka. 

"So you mean you kissed this guy?"

"NO!"

"But he read you love poems, right?"

"Yeah."

"And he said he loved you."

"Yeah. . ."

"And that he'd never leave your side."

"Mmm. . . hm."

"And he didn't try to kiss you once."

"Nope."

"Why didn't you kiss him!"

"What kind of a question is that! I'd be taking advantage of him! He thought I was someone else, remember? I couldn't do that! It'd break is heart if Nabiki had any pictures of me with him, let alone kissing him. There was no way I'd ever let that happen. Never."

"But Sayuri!"

"Never."

Yuka smiled on her end of the phone, laying back on her inflated mattress. 'You know,' she thought, 'I was so worried about Mystery Man's emotions and here he's just about romanced every woman in my class. Not that I actually said anything to hint that I had been one of them, but Sayuri! I wonder if those glasses are just-'

"...and then Hiroshi said- Hey, Yuka. . . you still there?"

"Yeah. But I gotta go start dinner. See you at school tomorrow?"

"Sure. Get some rest, Yuka."

"You too, Sayuri."

When she finally hung up the phone, Yuka found her Mom in the kitchen looking at the empty cabinets.

"Kiddo," she said, turning to look at Yuka, "Looks like we're going to either eat out or order in."

* * *

**Less angst, more confrontations this chapter, hope you didn't mind. If you did, tell me. If you didn't, tell me!**

**I want to think that I hadn't accidentally pushed Ranma and Akane OOC, but the person that I was most worried about was Ryouga, followed closely by Xian Pu. Are they? Aren't they? Let me know!**

**Questions? Comments? Ideas? Drop a line! Please!   
**


	4. We've got noodles for your nibbles

**Disclaimer: The concept of aquatransexuals and aquapseudoanimals, cursed to change in cold water belongs solely to Rumiko Takahashi- creator of Ranma ½. The concept of this particular fic belongs to me. All characters portrayed in this fic belong to Ms. Takahashi. My socks STILL belong to me. And I'm still waiting for someone to sue me for them. Any takers?**

**Hmmm. . . I had a hard time getting into poor Muu Tsu's mind, but decided to give it a shot anyway. Muu Tsu's point of view, then I lapse into third again. (I'm lazy. Gimme a break.)**

**And awaaaaay we go!**

* * *

I'm back at the Cat Café.

I can see the old ghoul's blur as she orders me around. Despite myself, I'm doing my best to keep up with her demands.

It wasn't my fault that I got caught up with Xian Pu. . . NO! with that other girl earlier in the day.

"Clean that up, Mr. Part-timer!"

I apologize profusely and tip down my coke-bottles so I can see exactly what I spilled- an order of shrimp ramen. This calls for a mop. I smirk, thinking about a certain other martial artist with a bandana. At least when I open a closet door I have a reason.

Why Saotome and Akane Tendo decided to bring me back is a mystery to me.

Right now, it seems as though it was just because Kho Lon was short of help. She wasted no time in pulling out the kettle, dousing me in warm water, and then sending me to work. I was sure my beloved Xian Pu would be here waiting for me to come back, but she was no-where to be found.

Come to think of it, I wouldn't have been in much of a position to converse with her anyway. That's all I want. It's to be able to see her every day and sleep by her side every night.

But even as I stand, sopping up spilled ramen, I know that my eyes betrayed her completely. They wandered to another maiden, and I couldn't even tell the difference. She wasn't a warrior. She definitely wasn't an Amazon. She wasn't Chinese. She wasn't Xian Pu.

All done. Mop and bucket go back in closet before anything can happen to them… or me. It wouldn't be worthwhile for me to get small and feathery when I'm on the job. The first few weeks after I got back from the springs I noticed something. Whenever I'm trying to stay dry, I'm more likely to get wet. If there is a way for water to get near me- via bucket, hose, or old lady- it will get me wet.

In fact, if the ramen I work with during the warmer seasons wasn't warm, I'd be a duck almost every other time I'd have to deliver an order to a table.

Speaking of which, Xian Pu has been going on orders and Kho Lon wants me to man the phone lines while she takes care of a few things. Fine with me. Of course, I'd rather be here with Xian Pu, but the lull brought on by Uc-chan's Okonomiyaki special this week is a welcome break nonetheless. Besides, I learned a long time ago not to ask what Kho Lon was planning when she gets that little glint in her eye. If I hadn't still had my glasses on at the time, then I might not have seen it.

It's better that I did.

_"Ringding-ringding!"_ Hmph. The order phone would ring as soon as I take the counter.

"Hello, Cat Café. We've got the noodles for your nibbles." (Don't ask. Just Don't Ask.)

"Hi, we'd like to order some ramen to be delivered within the hour. We're kinda hungry."

That voice! Where do I know it from?

"You still there? Hello?"

"Uh, yes. Yes cough what flavor do you want?" Not duck. Not duck. Not duck. Not duck. Not duck. Not duck. Not duck. Not duck.

"Chicken? Or Shrimp if you have it." I let my breath out slowly. "Do you have any specials?"

Ugh. I knew that was coming. Does no-one in this town get our coupons?

"We have a special on three-for-one delivery during this week, as well as the coupons that may have been sent to your house." There. That should take care of it.

"What coupons?"

Or not. I clear my throat again.

"Not only is there the current special of three-for-one; there is also a tasty 2500 yen variety pack which comes with four bowls, six fishcakes, and a family-style rice; there is a 1600 yen feast for two, which is two bowls, four fishcakes, and a medium rice; there is-"

"We'll take it. One bowl shrimp ramen. One chicken. 20 percent gratuity if you get it over here within the next thirty minutes."

"Yes, Miss!" I take down her address and realize that no-one is around to take it to her but me. This could be a problem. "We'll get it to you as soon as possible."

* * *

Yuka hung up the phone and turned to her mom. "It should be here within the hour. Geez, what's with the arched eyebrow?"

"20 Gratuity? You do realize that's coming out of your allowance."

"But Mom!" Yuka protested, watching her mother smirk at her. She turned on her chibi-eyes, knowing the effect that they should have on her mother.

"You know, Yuka, when I was in college our sorority only tipped 20 percent if we thought the deliverer was cute." The sparkling disappeared completely. She hopped on a stool next to the bar in their kitchen wall.

"Really?"

"Mm-hm. Or if he really looked stressed."

"Wow." They sat in silence for a few minutes, Yuka's mind still whirling with the thought- what if... "What should we do to kill time? We have at least half an hour if my bribe doesn't work."

"You can check the game drawer."

"The game drawer? But that thing hasn't been touched in ages! Didn't it have some sort of weird curse on it?"

Yuka's mom sweatdropped. "Of course not."

"All right!" Yuka threw her hands up in the air and went after the drawer which hadn't been opened since they had first moved to Nerima- the first night they came.

* * *

**And that's that! Too short? Too pointless? That's why I need your feedback. Tell me what you thought! Tell me if I did right by one of my favorite bishies! Tell me if you have anything to add! Do you like it? Do you hate it?**


	5. Seeing EyeToEye

**Disclaimer: Hmm. . . Let's recap- Do I own anything of value? My sparkly toe socks. That's all. Do I own anything from Ranma ½? Volumes 1-7 and 9. I still haven't paid my sis for the 8th volume. Do I own anyone from this fic? Nope. Absolutely not.**

**Some of you reviewed twice, which is awfully nice! I don't know if I'd have continued this without some support from other readers. Rowan Seven, Millie, Otaku by day/Goth by night, Tatsu-no-houou, Bio-nic, Karhaedron, Nemesis Zero, Elisteran, and Zak. . . Thanks for reviewing! I hope you're all still reading!**

**Oh, and Tatsu, I got to reading some of the Ranma scans. Thanks!**

**Flips nickel given to her by "Obd,Gbd" I decided to catch up with some of our fellow Nerimans while Yuka grabs the game box. . . Anybody wondering in the least about what our favorite Monkey Mummy on a pogo stick was up to?**

* * *

Kho Lon had some special herbs she needed to gather.

She had a little something she wanted to "cook up" for Xian Pu and couldn't trust it to anyone else. Not that it would be easy for her. She silently reminded herself that she's not as young as she used to be. (Of course, we all knew that already, didn't we?)

Besides, Muu Tsu couldn't be trusted to do anything concerning, especially where her grand-daughter was involved, and Xian Pu was no-where to be found.

'Heh heh, once Xian Pu gets a taste of my favored curry of choice, she'll be as ready as anyone to hurry back to China, with or without whomever I choose. Because This has gone on for far too long...' Her large eyes widened farther as she cackled with delight.

Hiroshi and Daisuke looked at each other, then back at the ancient Amazon. She didn't seem to care that she was cackling in the middle of Nerima. She definitely didn't seem to notice an Amazon with long black hair carrying a Cat Café take-out box on a bus rushing by her.

"Any idea what that was about?"

"Uh-uh. You?"

"Nope."

* * *

Yuka shoved some boxes aside in the attic. She was through with picking them up and carefully setting them down again as though each one contained priceless heirlooms. Nothing had been broken- at least she hadn't heard anything shatter. The large brown cubes of cardboard were starting to perturb her calm demeanor. Or maybe it was just the growling within. No matter what it was, it was enough to make time pass a little quicker due to her adrenaline. All seven minutes of rearranging boxes to find the game drawer.

"Ah-HA!" She wiped her forehead with a dusty hand. "There you are." The deceptively named "game drawer" was actually a rather large trunk.

Grabbing one of the handles, she tugged.

And tugged.

And tugged.

'So much for taking it downstairs, guess I'll have to pick a game up here.' Yuka stooped in front of clasp and toyed with the key around her neck that was traditionally kept in the key jar on her mother's desk. "Let's get you open."

For a little bit it didn't seem like the key wouldn't really work. But only a little bit.

_'clik' _"YES!"

Downstairs, her mom jumped. 'I guess she found it.'

Before long, she had grabbed some choice selections and headed downstairs. Needless to say, the ouija board was not among them. Somewhere deep within both the house and the trunk, spirits sighed in frustration.

"What? No twister mat?" teased Yuka's mother.

"Very funny. Besides, we'd need someone to spin." Yuka laid out each of the games. "We've got Monopoly, Clue, Go, Chess, and a deck of cards," She paused, holding up a finger. "Wait a sec." She counted the deck to see if all the cards were there. 'Whew, a full deck.'

"Aaaaand Uno," reminded her mother. "Any requests?"

"Uno."

"Uno?"

"Uno." Yuka smiled innocently. "Why? You had something else in mind, Mom?"

"Clue. . . and Chess is always good." She was grasping for games that could be played by two people. Uno games for two are always way too short.

"Clue then. But I get to be Miss Scarlett."

"Fine with me, I wanted to be Ms. Peacock anyway."

Shuffling the cards, Yuka heard her stomach growl a bit. Her mom was fishing in the box for the pieces and setting up the board.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"How long ago did I call the-" '_chirring ring ring_ ' "Never mind." Yuka hopped off the couch and looked at her mother in askance.

"What?"

"The money. . ."

"Me? I thought you were springing!" Yuka narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "It's by the door, kiddo." With Ranmaish speed, she blurred past her mother, grabbed the money, and flung open the door.

She was eye-to-eye with her Mystery Man.

"Uh. . ." she quickly took a step back.

"Ramen order for two, delivered within half an hour." He pulled his triple-thick glasses down from where they were perched on his head to read the bill. "One bowl shrimp, One bowl chicken, four fishcakes, and a medium rice. . ."

Yuka was looking at him like she was seeing things. She almost had the urge to pinch herself to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. After all, being in Nerima did tend to give people really frightening nightmares.

". . . and some coupons. It comes to 1600 yen less tax." 'and tip' he secretly thought. Looking up, he noticed exactly how glazed over the girl's eyes looked. "Miss?"

The Tip. He had gotten there in less than half an hour. Her mom wasn't paying it.

"Miss?" Yuka snapped back to the abnormality that is Nerima.

"Oh, yes. I have your money- upstairs. . . won't you come in?"

She dashed upstairs and he was left in the doorway.

He took two cautious steps inside.

A woman who couldn't have been older than 36 walked up to him. "So you're the loyal employee who my daughter promised 20 percent." Upstairs looting her pockets for spare yen, Yuka sneezed.

Meanwhile, her mother looked Muu Tsu up and down. She bit her lip and circled him once. He couldn't help feeling a bit like a piece of meat. Of course, usually when he got that look, he was in his cursed form. 'He's worth the 20.' The woman nodded and motioned for him to follow her.

Muu Tsu pulled the bowls out of the carrying box one by one and placed them on the buffet. When he was all done, Yuka appeared at the top of the stairs. By that time, he had already put his glasses back on top of his head.

Yuka carefully gripped the total sum of yen in her hand; it wouldn't do to drop it on the steps on the way down. That is, if she didn't pull an Akane and trip. Which she almost did.

Almost.

The house seemed very familiar to Muu Tsu, but he brushed it from his mind. The counter at the Cat Café was being tended by someone who owed the Amazon a favor, and he didn't totally trust him. But then again, Muu Tsu never really ever trusted Ranma. If anything would happen to Kho Lon's shop, he'd be as good as stewed duck. You can see why he was anxious to get back.

"I have your money right here." He swiveled his head to the door- there was a slightly familiar blur there waving something. No more familiar than any other blur, but he walked towards it anyway.

Yuka blushed. His eyes really were handsome. She tried not to think about everything that had happened that afternoon and pressed the money into his hand.

"2000 yen. Keep the change."

He hid the cash somewhere within his robes and conveyed his appreciation. When his hand reappeared, it held a Cat Café flier with several coupons on it. "Feel free to use these next time you order from us."

"Thank you." He stepped outside. "Thanks for the great afternoon, too." The door quickly slammed behind him.

"Th-th-the Afternoon?"

* * *

**Thanks again for all the reviews!**

**It's the moment you've been waiting for! Now tell me, did I let you down? Or did it work out well? Tell me! Drop a line. Should I continue it? Am I beating a dead horse? Tell me!**


	6. Tubs and Roses

**Disclaimer: I can't believe you're still reading these- and if you are, you know the drill by now. Ranma ½? Not mine. Muu Tsu? In my dreams. My socks? Try 'n take 'em. We clear? Good.**

**Auugh! Not fair! Not fair, not fair, not fair! Mid-terms didn't seem to come this early last semester! Sorry about the lack of updating, I hope this makes up for it.**

* * *

Muu Tsu whirled around, not seeing the washtub in the front yard filled with cold water. And, as it is stated in the almighty laws of the great kamis watching over Nerima- he stepped on the edge of the tub and tipped the cold, soapy contents triggering his curse. And it didn't help that he was now trapped underneath the tub. 

He beat his wings furiously against the steel tub. _'clang, c-c-clang-nng'_ Or I should say that he was denting the tub with various items materialized and whirled against the inside of the tub.

Which, of course, are very normal sounds in some districts of Nerima.

But not in Yuka's front yard.

Yuka found herself opening the door and watching her mother's favorite tub rattling on the ground with lumps appearing on the surface from some source within. She froze.

'A demon?' She considered approaching the steadily jumping washtub. 'A ghost?' Her hand unconsciously crooked and raised itself to her mouth.

_'clannng'_ 'A-'_'clang'_, Qwak

"D-Chan! Mom, come quick! D-Chan's stuck under your washtub!"

"What!" called her mom after swallowing a mouthful of noodles. She threw her chopsticks in her bowl and hurried outside to find her daughter struggling with the heavy tub.

"Mom, D-Chan's under here, help me out!" They both tugged the tub upside, leaving a very white bird dancing wildly with various weapons on a white robe.

"D-Chan!" Yuka swooped him up in her arms. "You came back!"

Of course, it took all of five seconds before he realized that he was being hugged. It took another five before he realized he was being called D-Chan.

Immediately he began flapping just as wildly as he had within the washtub. The force knocked Yuka backwards onto the ground as she watched her favorite duck fly over the horizon.

"D-Chaaan!"

Yuka bowed her head, defeated. 'Why?'

Out of the corner of her eye a pair of glasses glinted.

* * *

'Xian Pu! Oh, what have I done!' thought Mousse as he winged his way across the horizon. He landed just outside of the Cat Café to see Akane practically dragging Ranma out by the ear. He had a lump on his head from Akane's mallet when he didn't explain quickly enough that he wasn't there to see Xian Pu. Never mind that he was helping himself to some free ramen while he was there. For all she had known, Xian Pu might as well have made it for him.

"Hey, Mousse! There weren't any customers, but Cologne stopped by for a few minutes. She said that if you weren't back by the time she returned, she'd make sure you were a duck for the next 100 years." He paused. "And you know she could do it. See ya!"

D-Chan shuddered inwardly. Being a duck wasn't an awful thing, but not being able to walk occasionally without the fear of being turned into duck soup caused ice to hang from his beak.

He flapped up to his window where a fresh set of robes lay out on his bed and hot water on a small (very small) hot plate. One could never forget to keep a spare outfit and hot water handy at all times.

Once again a fine human specimen with a spare pair of glasses down onto his nose, Muu Tsu rushed downstairs to the kitchen.

Luckily, Kho-Lon wasn't there yet.

Yet.

_'chirring'_ He walked to the dining counter. "Hello, welcome to the Cat Ca-"

The door swung open to fully reveal a short, wrinkled lady who was dwarfed by the large bag of ingredients required to prepare her ancient Amazon recipe for too-too delicious lemon-poppyseed curried rice with some special secret ingredients best not shared with men. She hopped past him on her stick. No sense in getting him involved.

Once she dropped her basket in the kitchen, she pogoed back out to the empty dining area. "Where were you while I was gone, mister part-timer?"

'Watching you from a bus,' he thought. "On an order. I just got back."

"I told you to stay here and watch the Café." She whacked him with her stick, rather unfairly. After all, he had left a replacement. And he told her so. And she whacked him again, ordering him to clean the bowl that had been used by Ranma.

_'chirring, SLAM'_ "Great-Grandmother! I no find Airen!"

"That's because son-in-law was right here." Xian Pu was dumbfounded. Her bonbori dropped to the floor. "Muu Tsu asked him to watch the counter while he left to take care of an order."

"Stupid Mousse!" Muu Tsu flinched, listening to the conversation in the kitchen.

Xian Pu decided to change the subject. "There is big dance in Nerima this weekend. Is called 'Girl's Day' dance. Women ask men to dance. Xian Pu ask Airen, yes?"

_'gwush'_ Muu Tsu turned on some lukewarm water to wash out the bowl, so the rest of the banter was lost.

* * *

Yuka crawled over to the glasses and robe. 'These. . . these are the robes Mystery Man was wearing.' She lifted it carefully. The white cloth was soaked through with watered-down detergent. 'What's it doing here?'

"Mom? Is this something I should know about?" Holding it up for her mother to see, she felt her heart bounce once, then sink into oblivion.

"What is it?" She peeked inside a sleeve and turned to her daughter. "I can't say I've seen this, whatever it is, before." She raised an eyebrow and dropped the sleeve. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Me? No." Yuka threw it over her shoulder and a dozen roses fell out.

Picking them up, she thought very hard about what had just happened. They were from Mystery Man. It would make sense that he'd carry them for Xian Pu, whoever she was. She had seen him fighting Ranma and someone had shouted about him being a hidden weapons specialist. It would make sense for him to be hiding other things in his robes besides chains.

Not that anything she was thinking was really hitting home.

Her mother pocketed the glasses.

It was a full ten minutes before Yuka realized that she had subconsciously wandered out back to hang up the robe. One pin on one shoulder, two on a sleeve.

The roses lay disregarded at her feet.

Red roses.

'For Xian Pu,' she reminded herself.

Once she had finished, she picked up the roses and wandered back inside where her mother was waiting patiently.

"Hey, kiddo? What's wrong?" She tipped her daughter's chin upwards.

"Nothing." Yuka looked over at the ramen. "Hey! You ate my shrimp! Not fair!"

"Ah-ah. I paid. Plenty fair."

"I paid the tip!" protested Yuka, to no avail.

"You brought that on yourself."

"Hmph."

They sat down and started in on the fishcakes.

"Yuka?"

"Hrm?"

"How was your day?"

* * *

**If I get inspired by the next week, then the next chapter will be posted by at least Sunday. If not, this fic could very well fade into the oblivion that is course, the chances of me being inspired are heightened by your reviews. Soo. . . Tell me what you think! How was Ranma? A little OOC? And Kho Lon? And my blatantly obvious plot devices? (Oops. How'd that get there. ;;)**

**Au Revoir!**


	7. Girl Talk

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to say that I don't own Ranma ½? Honestly, no. Legally, yes. Any lawyers that have a problem with this disclaimer can put a sock in it.**

**burns hand on aondehafka's review Yowch. shakes hand in pain I guess I deserved that. The cackling wasn't really called for. evil smile But the effect of the Amazon's special lemon-poppyseed curried rice isn't a love potion. Never was. You'll find out what it is later.**

**Here we go! Yuka's point 'o view.**

* * *

This was not good. 

"Well, mom- er- nothing happened that I can think of. . ."

"Nothing?" There's a dark coloring in her eyes that blatantly warns me to stop lying. It's really hard for anyone to believe that there isn't something going on in Nerima unusual. I randomly grasp for something that happened during school.

"I helped Akane bake some cookies in Home Ec. Ranma actually only had to stay in the infirmirary for an hour."

"Only an hour? That's a record."

"You're telling me." I snap my fingers. "Ranma and Akane stopped by to take back D-chan. Turns out Genma either found him on the street or stole him. They said he belongs to some Chinese girl. Would you believe that D-chan was a hot duck!"

"Never." Mom shakes her head. Hiding a grin, she added, "Did he show you how to get down?"

"Not funny," I say despite the smile forming on my face.

"Did they say who the girl was?"

"No. They didn't, now that you mention it." I shake my head. Why'd he come back only to disappear again?

I slipped into the lapping waves of thought just before mom brought me back to shore. She's my lighthouse, you know?

"Anything else?"

No, Mom. I was just approached and serenaded posing as a girl named Xian Pu to a guy who I purposely hid a pair of glasses because I liked the attention. And then he showed up and delivered our ramen but didn't recognize me. Yeah, that would go over real well.

"Well, at school they're having a dance where the girls ask the guys this weekend."

"Got anyone in mind?"

A certain young Cat Café waiter.

"No."

"Hiroshi? Daisuke?" When mom puts her mind to it, she can really-

"NO!"

"Kuno's boy?"

"Not for all the cherry blossoms on the tree out back."

"What about one of the other martial artists?"

"I'd be risking my life to ask any of them. Ranma's likely to be asked by all of his fiancées, probably at once. His rival, Ryouga the wandering soul, wouldn't show up."

"You don't know that!"

"Right. And he only has eyes for Akane, anyway."

"What about that cute-"

"He's got someone."

"And Kinnosuke?"

"What? The guy who wouldn't even pay for himself once during our date? No. I lost 40,000 yen on that freeloader."

"It looks like you're on your own, then."

I bristle, unexpectedly. I'll do it! Even if I have to ask gulp Kuno.

"Or is there someone I don't know about?"

"No. There's no-one else."

"The delivery boy was cute."

"What!"

"I'd say he was 20 percent tip cute." Uh-oh. "Mm-hm. Yup definitely 20 percent tip."

"MOM!"

"You don't think so?" It's getting awfully warm in here.

"Maybe." She doesn't have to look so smug about it.

"Why don't you ask him?"

"B-b-b-because! He- he wouldn't be interested!" In anyone but Xian Pu.

"Why not?"

Those roses are awfully pretty. I should really put them in some water. Standing to put the roses in a vase, I can hear Mom behind me.

"Why not, kiddo?"

My shoulders sag ever so slightly. "He has a girlfriend."

"Sorry. Tough break."

Boy, she doesn't know the half of it. Of course in Nerima, most people don't know the half of it.

"Yeah."

I pause as I feel her hand on my shoulder. "But this weekend, I forbid you to come home until you go to the dance."

"Thank you!"

* * *

It's a pretty afternoon to look at the cherry blossoms from my balcony. 

I think I'll ask Daisuke when I get to school. I mean, what's the harm? It's not Gosunkugi. I'd have to be on some sort of medication to date a voodoo priest. (He is a priest, right? Not that I care.) I don't think I'm picky, but sheesh. And Kuno, Kami forgive me- was I seriously considering Kuno? Next thing you know, I'll go up to Mikado Sanzien's house and ask him for an autograph.

Or for him to be my date to the dance. The ice crawls up my spine... I guess it's the wind.

The robe's flapping in the back yard. Blossoms falling bounce off of it. What are we going to do with it now? How am I going to get it back to him? It has to belong to Mystery Man. I wonder if he lives at the Cat Café.

I wonder if the manager could give the robe to him.

Maybe I should just leave it on the doorstep of the Café on my way to school.

Yeah.

I really should have left all the roses in the vase, but I couldn't help taking one upstairs with me.

I only grabbed it to give my fingers something to do. It's sort of fun to twirl it around my fingers, watching the red and green blur. I used to be a baton twirler when I was younger. I think Kodachi was actually in my class. You know, before she started going- well- crazy isn't the word I want to use. Eccentric isn't it either.

Hey! Who's that!

There's someone sitting in my tree!

"This is private property! What are you doing in my back-"

* * *

**Will we find out who's in the tree? Will Mousse ever get back his glasses? And what does Kho-Lon's special little treat do, anyway?**

**If you want to know, or have an inkling, drop me a line! Remember, chances of inspiration being enhanced sooner are multiplied by each review!**


	8. Thinking things through, Nerima Style

**Disclaimer: Fine. Fine. I admit it. I have every single Bishounen from Ranma ½ locked in my secret fortress. You hear that Akane? Ukyou? Kodachi! Xian Pu? I'm holding the bishies hostage and they haven't tried to escape yet! (v) Of course if you chose not to believe me because you think you met the real ones last time you went to Nerima, then suffice to say they belong to Rumiko Takahashi.**

**Third person 'cause I like playing Kami. 'Sides, it's about time we caught up with how everyone else seems to be doing thus far.**

* * *

Two legs disappeared into the tree. 

"Get out of my tree!" Yuka shouted. She threw her rose on her bed and raced downstairs, not exactly sure what was called for. When she got to the back yard, she quickly took in her surroundings. The person in the tree was missing.

The robe was gone!

"Now what do I do?"

Ranma jumped rooftops with the bundle of white cloth under his arm. Muu Tsu sure was calling in a lot of favors recently. 'First the café, now getting his laundry.' The martial artist grimaced. 'I never should have let Nabiki hold that Neriman Slave auction. I know it was going towards repairing the dojo, but the floor was gonna-' A light flashed across the sky.

_'ba-BOOM'_ Thunder cut off his thoughts, followed out by the bain of all cursed by Jusenkyo. (Well, except Tarou, but he has other problems.)

'Naturally.' Ranma-chan stopped short just outside the Cat Café. 'Since when does Mousse listen to the weather report?' Muu Tsu opened the door before she could touch the handle.

"Thank you, Ranma Saotome." Muu Tsu took the bundle from Ranma-chan. "You are free for the day. But Remember-"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm your servant 'till Friday." She flicked a wet red bang out of her eyes. "'Later, Mousse." Turning on her heel, Ranma-chan raced back to the dojo through the rain. 'Only two more days. Only two more days.'

Ranma-chan walked in the door, mumbling something about bluejays when Kasumi and Akane with a kettle saw her.

"Tough day?" asked Kasumi in her slightly worried tone.

"Hmm? No, not really."

"Well then, Akane has something she wants to ask you." Kasumi gave Akane's shoulder a quick squeeze. 'I hope she doesn't forget about the kettle.'

"Ranma, you've heard about the dance, right?"

"Yeah, 'Kane. Uc-chan told me about it."

"Oh." The youngest Tendo fought to control her disappointment. 'Ukyou asked him before I could!' She cleared her throat and handed him the kettle. "Here."

Ranma watched Akane walk off. 'What was that about?'

* * *

Buisness was booming at Ucchan's Okonomiyaki Shop. She flipped them at a furious rate. Why had Ryouga appeared just as she was about to ask her Ranchan to the dance! 

_flip _A japanese pizza flew through the air to a customer.

_hiss _The griddle was as hot as her temper had been since Ryouga had shown up at lunch.

The batter bowl was empty.

_crack _The egg never stood a chance.

_whiskwiswisk_ 'What possessed me to do this promotion?'

She paused. 'It sounded like a good idea at the time.'

_hiss _She sighed, turned on her brightest smile, and started all over.

* * *

Yuka's quill wrote at a furious pace. She had to ask someone to the dance. The list was actually a bit longer than she had thought, but not by much. Some of them were just plain embarrassing. 

When the last stroke was put to paper, she set it down to let it dry while she went to get a drink. She returned with a glass of water and took up the pen again.

Kuno didn't really interest her. Her pen hovered over his name for a moment, then tapped the next one.

Ryouga had a very rugged look to him, but he wasn't due to turn up for at least two weeks. She put a star by his name just in case.

Gosunkugi? She shuddered involuntarily. 'Doesn't bear thinking about.' She immediately crossed out his name.

Mystery Man would surely be asked by Xian Pu. She starred his name.

She continued the pattern of crossing out the people she thought were impossible or just didn't care for and starring ones that she might actually have the courage to ask. Of course, it whittled the list down from at least 25 to 5.

Out of those, the only ones that she could imagine asking that would probably accept were Hiroshi and Daisuke. They were good acquaintances and took turns copying homework from her, but she didn't really doubt that either of them would be interested… but she didn't know whether or not they had dates.

Ryouga, who piqued her interest but wouldn't be in town.

Mystery Man was taken. She had starred his name, but he was taken.

Ranma. Yuka blinked twice, then crossed his name out. Cute as he was, she wouldn't do that to Akane. Besides, he's a Jusenkyo victim with suitors chasing him in both forms. 'He would probably faint if he found out he had another.'

She downed her water and went to take a long soak in the furo.

She had a lot to think about.

* * *

Muu Tsu furiously checked his pockets for his stronger glasses. They had to be in the robe that Ranma had brought back. "Curse you, Saotome," he mumbled. 

Defeated for the moment, the Amazon teen sat on his futon and decided on the next mission he should send his slave on. Something embarrassing. Something different. Something. . .

He smirked.

'Perfect.'

He had just closed his eyes to think about exacting his revenge on Ranma when he heard a commotion in the kitchen.

"Xian Pu!"

He would have raced downstairs if he had seen them. Thing is, he didn't.

After rolling down them, he dazedly held his head up to see Xian Pu looking down on him.

"What stupid duck-boy here for?" she demanded.

He glomped her. She hit him.

Same old story.

Just then, Xian Pu had an idea.

"Muu Tsu. . . Xian Pu has something for duck-boy to try."

Hearing his Amazon name perked his ears. He followed her into the kitchen like a little puppy.

She held up a spoonful of lemon-poppyseed curried rice. "Open wide!" she said, an evil glint in her eye. She shoved the spoon in his mouth.

'The flavor is. . . unusual. . . and. . . ' Suddenly what colors he saw changed into a color negative. Red was green. Blue was orange. Xian Pu's hair was the vibrant yellow of lemons.

"What have you done?" he asked, monotone in voice. His mind slowly began to calm into a pond where there was originally a river.

"Muu Tsu like? This special Amazon treat." She remembered what Kho Lon had said about the effect of the rice- 'It opens the soul to suggestions and convinces the mind that it is a good idea. It can also act as a truth serum if the wife feels that her husband has been unfaithful. But I warn you, grand-daughter, that it is not to be taken lightly. If you want to make it, I can get you the ingredients. If not, there are other methods.' That's all Xian Pu needed to hear.

Xian Pu grinned. "Turn around three times and quack, duck-boy." Muu Tsu turned around three times, quack and looked at her blankly as she clapped her hands. This was going to be fun.

* * *

**Who's Yuka going to ask out? W hat does Xian Pu plan to do with Muu Tsu? And when WILL duck-boy get back his glasses?**

**Oh, and I haven't read the mind-mushroom issue. I didn't even know about it until I had read aonedehafka's review.**

**You like, yes? Tell me! No? Tell me! That's what reviews are for! Creativity is 90 percent inspiration. The chances of me being inspired are multiplied by reviews!**


	9. Rice, Rice, Baby

**Disclaimer: Yes, I do, in fact, own Ranma ½. (Oh, and if you believe that, I have map of Jusenkyo to sell you.)**

**Last chapter appeared in the midst of a temper tantrum. The server went up, then down, then up, then down, then up, then down. I really don't know whether or not that kept people from reviewing, but I can really relate if it did.**

**On with the fic in third personessness!**

* * *

Xian Pu glanced over at the window. Rain. 'Unfair.' She pouted and crossed her arms. 'And I had something in store for him, too.'

Muu Tsu still looked as though someone had snuffed out any light he had in his eyes. Slowly the rice was sending herbal tendrils to soothe the apprehensions he kept feeling.

The Amazon Warrioress looked back at Muu Tsu.

"That's all right, Xian Pu and Muu Tsu have fun right here, yes?" She broke into a wide, evil grin.

* * *

The furo was nice and warm, like a hug enveloping the Furinkan student.

She had a choice to make and wasn't sure which choice was the best. She turned over the options in her mind, looking at the downside to each decision. All of them had at least one or two reasons why she shouldn't ask them.

Her head tilted backwards, and she felt her reservations start drifting away. She'd make a decision in the morning.

_'ringringrin'_ "Yuka! It's for you!"

'Not now. . . ' thought Yuka, but she had no choice. She wrapped a towel around herself and hotfooted it downstairs to the cordless phone.

"I GOT IT!" she yelled, covering the earpiece. "Hello?"

"Yuka! I never got to tell you!"

"Sayuri? Is that you?"

"Of course it's me. Who'd ya think? Copycat Ken?"

"Hey, it's Nerima. You never know." Yuka started wandering back to her room. "Now, what did you have to tell me?"

"You weren't listening the first time, so now you gotta guess."

"But Sayuri!" Yuka flopped on her mattress, phone next to her ear. She knew something was up.

"Guess. You get three." Now it was obvious that something was up.

"You found a dress for the dance."

"Yuka, we had agreed that we were going to get those together, remember?"

'Oops.' "That would be a no, then."

"Mm hm. You have two left." Yuka bit her bottom lip, trying to think of a good one.

"You were abducted by Pantyhose Tarou, saved by a wandering Jusenkyo victim who looks very bishounen when he isn't in his cursed form, but was torn from his grasp by a freak hurricane and left on a pedestal of rock that you had to climb down from, so you did and you made it back to Nerima using those two free plane vouchers your dad gave you."

"Plausible, but no. Two down, one to go."

"You asked Kuno to the dance."

"You gotta be kidding me."

"If I am, does it still count?"

"No."

"Then I'm not."

"But you were close." Yuka's brain turned upside down.

"WHAT!"

"Ow. . ."

"Sorry, Sayuri. Now, explain."

"See, I was talking with Daisuke and Hiroshi after. . ."

'Damn. I knew that they'd have dates.'

". . . So, I after I asked if either of them would be interested, Daisuke looked over at Ranma and Ukyou by the tree, then back at me. He said 'Sure', and then Hiroshi said he didn't have a date."

Yuka sat up straight. "Repeat that."

"Hiroshi doesn't have a date. At least he didn't that afternoon. I don't know whether or not Mikako got to him first."

"Mikako?"

"Yeah, dark hair, brown eyes, talks with a bit of a French accent."

"Oh. Her." 'Not to be confused with every other dark-haired, brown-eyed girl at school.'

"Well, that was just about it. Guess I'll see you in school tomorrow."

"'Kay, Sayuri. See you!"

_'clik meemeeeeeeeeee-beep'_ Yuka hung up the phone and set it on her desk. She rewetted her quill and crossed out Daisuke's name.

"One down, three to go."

* * *

Meanwhile, next to the Eiffel Tower, Ryouga looked up at the sky and howled:

"WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW?"

* * *

Ah-SCHU Hiroshi, in his bed, sneezed himself awake. He looked around dazedly for a second, then rolled over and went back to sleep.

* * *

Xian Pu was having a lot of fun with her new puppet.

So far she'd had Muu Tsu quack like a duck, jump through a hula hoop, write a letter of resignation to the Amazon council and then tear it up (she realized that if he wasn't a member of the Amazons, he wouldn't be of use to Kho Lon and herself in the Cat Café right now), perform a veritable indoor obstacle course, bake cookies, list all of his hidden items in alphabetical order, dance with a mop, and croon "Fly Me to the Moon" with a bucket of cold water on his head. . . All without actually turning into a duck.

"Now, Xian Pu want know what duck-boy were doing in park with girl."

Muu Tsu answered, in a monotone voice that he could not control, "I thought she was you."

Silence.

"But I learned later that I did know her."

Silence again.

"How duck-boy know her?" The truth serum had to have kicked in by now.

"I was her pet duck." The tiny corner of his mind that was not possessed by the rice was screaming like a boiling tea kettle. The rest was as placid as any koi pond.

Xian Pu showed no real emotion. 'Muu Tsu the duck-boy got himself captured. It was probably his own fault.'

The blank look on Muu Tsu's face was getting to her. This just wasn't the same cursed suitor she was used to, and it was rather unnerving. She shook her head to clear it.

"Why duck-boy not tell voice apart from Xian Pu's."

"I don't know." His mind flitted through possibilities. "I just wanted it to be you." After another moment, he added, "I think she understood Mandarin."

* * *

**All right, Nabiki just informed me that she's taking bets on which of the final three Yuka picks. 1/8 odds on Ryouga, 1/4 odds on Muu Tsu, 1/2 odds on Hiroshi. Place your bets in your reviews, please! Give me suggestions, questions, comments, confusions, and maybe even a clue. I can never seem to get one.**

**By the way, I haven't thanked you awesome people for reviewing recently-**

**MilleNomina, Otaku by day/Goth by night, kenko, and butterfly: Thanks, I hope you're still like what you've been reading. showers everyone with loose yen I luv ya!**

**Ellis M and Joshua(TerraEpon): Major thanks for bandaging the burns and lending a hose.**

**Aonedehafka: I really hope I've been doing better. If not, I have a feeling you'd let me know. Wouldn't you? (Read the first chapter of White Rose, it's really well written.)**

**Everyone/anyone else: I really hope you're still enjoying my fic, even if you decided not to review.**

**Until next chapter, Ja ne!   
**


	10. Sweet dreams are made of these

**Disclaimer: I'd like to take this moment to thank Ms. Takahashi for giving me Muu Tsu for the sole purpose of this fic. I'd like to. . . but that'd be lying.  
**

**(waves) I'm baa-aack! Sorry about the hiatus, but the air outside was beautiful and spring break was calling, so I had no choice but to go out and answer it. (Haven't you ever felt like the very atmosphere of the day was tugging you outside?)**

**Now that I'm parked in front of my computer again, this chapter is brought to you in part by "United Ficcers Anonymous", Hammerspace© and affiliate ki attacks, and moral support of reviewers like you! Thank you!**

* * *

"Girl WHAT?" Xian Pu wasn't sure why this didn't just roll off her skin.

"Mandarin. The language we speak. In fact, I remember clearly that she would nod and say yes when I asked a question." Muu Tsu obviously couldn't see his beloved's hackles rising. "It wasn't until you appeared that I noticed something was wrong."

"What last thing duck-boy say to girl just before you Xian Pu appear?"

"That I loved you."

"What exactly Muu Tsu say to girl?"

"I love you, I always have."

Xian Pu screeched to a halt inwardly. It was fine for him to profess love to a lamppost or a wall. Even then, he always said her name.

"And girl. What girl say back?" Not that any of this should interest her. It really shouldn't interest her. Why was this interesting her?

"She said 'Xian Pu cannot do this.'" The words flew out of his mouth and he felt a tickle of emotion, but it was quickly stifled.

"Then what happen?"

"She tried to run." Muu Tsu felt the placidness being interrupted. "I grabbed her wrist." Emotions rained down on his mind. "We sat." The memories crowded and dominated his mind. "You appeared." The rice's power was finally failing. "She left."

And it only took four hours.

Xian Pu saw the change, and quickly told Muu Tsu to go up to his room.

The last tendril of power left in the rice pushed him towards the stairs.

"Xian Pu?"

"Just go."

* * *

Her dream whispered thoughts and ideas for the next day.

She would tell him. She had no choice.

If he had been asked, then it wasn't her fault.

Not really.

How to ask him was another story entirely.

She turned over in her sleep.

She could do it. She just didn't know how.

It's not a hard concept, whispered her dream.

Just go up to him and say. . .

"Ranma, will you go to the dance with me?"

"Sure, Akane."

Akane's lids snapped open. "What are you doing in my room!"

"I, uh, I, um,-"

"Say something, baka!"

"Tomboy!"

_'boot' _"And stay out!"

* * *

_The next morning._

"Yuka! Riiiiise 'n shine, kiddo!"

"Urrng. . . " mumbled Yuka, intelligently.

"It's time to get up!

Yuka pulled the covers over her head. Talk about rotten dreams. Being in Nerima can do that to people. It usually lends itself to worst-case scenarios.

She blinked her eyes against the cotton.

"Come on."

'The light sure is bright this morning'

"Breakfast will be ready within the hour, so get your rear in gear." Yuka threw back the covers.

"I'll be down soon!"

Her feet swung to the floor. It was too early in the morning for this. Her eyes wandered to the paper on her desk. 'Yup, way too early.' She braced herself and tried to stand. 'That wasn't so bad.' Her closet suddenly seemed like a mile away. Yuka immediately sat back down. 'Maybe it was.'

With effort, she reached for her stereo. There had to be something good on. Anything to wake her up.

"Gooood morning and welcome to the one and only Z-Z-Zeta One-oh-One (one oh one oh one oh one) in the morning. This is Ming Taukimi with the vibes to get your day started."

Yup, this was exactly what she needed to get going.

"We'd like to send this song out to a certain young woman with red hair in the Nerima district from the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High. His message is, 'I don't know your name, but I know I love you.' Well, whover you are, here's a special song for you."

Yuka started giggling and couldn't stop. Clothes in hand, she sat back down on her bed and tried to compose herself.

'Lucky Akane doesn't listen to music in the morning.'

Once dressed, she practically flew down the stairs. "Morning, Mom!"

"Hey, Yu-yu-cha-"

"Don't you dare." If she had her way, Yuka would have been rid of that nickname when she was ten.

"Hey, kiddo. Have a nice sleep?"

"Yup. What's for breakfast?"

"White rice, various pickles, tofu, eggs, and miso soup."

"No fruit?"

"There's an orange in the fridge."

Yuka found it in the very back. "It's fuzzy!"

"Still want it?"

"No! No way."

"I didn't think so."

Yuka sat at the table and waited for her mother to bring out the soup. Everything else was set out.

They both said a short prayer of thankfulness and started in.

"Yuka, I have an errand for you to run before school."

"But Mom! Principal Kuno threatened everyone with bowl cuts if we were late!" 'and couldn't fight him off.'

"It won't take long, I promise."

"Kay. What is it?"

"I need you to give a pair of glasses to the manager at the Cat Café. I think the delivery boy left them here."

* * *

**Nabiki's still taking bets. So far we have four solid bets for Muu Tsu, a ½ bet for Hiroshi, and none for Ryouga. Get 'em in before the next chapter!**

**Okay, now you know what to do! Click the little button on the bottom and tell me what you think!**


	11. In which all is revealed and nothing is ...

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this fic. Yuka and Muu Tsu are not mine, but you know that by now. I do own a pair of sparkly socks that are for sale on E-bay. I can't even give 'em away!**

**All right, it's been a two weeks since my last chapter, and I've been distracted. Well, that's not an excuse. I mean, haven't we all. It's about time that I poured my frustrations and other emotions into something creative, don't you think?**

**This chapter full of chaos is sponsored by "Otaku by Day, Goth by Night". Go read her "Lather, Rinse, Repeat!"… I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't like it!**

**On with the show!**

* * *

Yuka stepped through the doorway into the fresh air outside, glasses clenched in her hand. She had left early to run her mother's "errand". 'What do you say to a guy like that? "Excuse me, I think I found your glasses at my house."' She rolled the thought over in her mind. Maybe it would sound better out loud.

"Hey, excuse me, I found your-"

_'splash' _"Hey, get offa me you pervert!"

"Whoopee!"

BOOT

Yuka sighed. 'Happosai's out in full force this morning. Wonderful.' She looked around for some place to hide. Not that there were many. 'I'll just keep my senses open, like Akane says.'

Somehow, the thought didn't reassure her as much as she would have liked it to.

* * *

Ryouga crawled out of his tent, and started to dismantle it. He was very careful not to let it leave his vision as he methodically took it apart. He had lost more tents that way… 

"Hey, P-Chan-" He looked up to see a red coiffed beauty in front of him.

The lost boy growled, lunged, and missed.

"You've gotten slow again."

"…" Ryouga sliced forward, which Ranma-chan countered easily.

"Hey, Ryouga, can you help me with a little somethin'?" They were caught in a standoff pose. "Mousse has a treasure hunt he's sending me on. Feels like the only thing he hasn't asked me for is Instant Nannichuan."

Ryouga broke free, and glowered. "You ask _me_ for help? Why?"

The buxom redhead scratched the back of her neck. "Well, he said one of Akane's friends might know where his glasses were."

"Why, exactly, are you helping that blind Amazon anyway?" Ryouga let his guard drop, and set about taking care of the tent, assuming that Ranma-chan would still be there when he looked up.

"You remember that Neriman Auction?"

"Yeah, Nabiki almost roped me into it, but I got lost right before my turn on the block." 'Thank the Kami.'

"Well, it came down to Uc-chan, Shampoo, and Mousse. Uc-chan ran out of money first, and Mousse wanted me to suffer." 'And he didn't want Shampoo to be within two meters of me.' "So, have you seen 'em?"

"No." Shoving the tent into his oversized pack, Ryouga shouldered it and stood. "I haven't."

"All right then. See ya, P-Chan." With a flick of her red hair, Ranma-chan was off again.

"Hey, wait!"

* * *

Mousse warily swept the street outside of the Nekohatten. '5. . . 4. . . 3. . . 2. . .1. . .' 

_'splash' _"Qwak." '_bonk'   
_

It had been like this every single morning, at least once a morning since he had come back to Nerima. Elder Kho Lon would send him outside to sweep the storefront. The "blessing" lady would splash him, he would be just ducky, and the broom would bounce off of his head. Amazing. Never a change.

"D-Chan?" He looked up.

Black Shoes. White Stockings. Blue Furinkan Uniform. White Blouse. Brown hair. Soft voice.

Yuka.

"What are you. . . Oh! Your owner must be that girl with the purple hair who works here, isn't she." She glanced around quickly to make sure no-one was in sight to see her talking to a duck. One never knew when someone like Azusa would appear and pluck whatever you were carrying from your arms. "But what are you doing outside?"

Muu Tsu ruffled his feathers, but it didn't seem to perturb Yuka much.

"Well, I was going to go inside anyway, but I don't think it's open yet." She peered inside. Xian Pu was eating some breakfast on one of the tables. "Nope. Not open."

She turned away just as the Amazon looked up from her food.

'It's that girl with Muu Tsu. What does she have duck-boy for, anyway?' She shoved a chopstick laden with vittles into her mouth, chewed carefully, and swallowed.

"It no matter." The words echoed against the empty tables and chairs.

* * *

Akane stood at Ranma's door, considering waking him up for breakfast. They still had at least fifteen minutes before Kasumi would be done, but if Nabiki was right and Ukyou hadn't asked him to the dance… 

She gripped the door and flung it wide.

"RAN-MA! Get up! It's time for-" There was no-one but Genma in the room, and he was snoring peacefully on his futon.

She picked up the piece of paper left on Ranma's futon.

"Went to run errands. Being Mousse's slave is a pain." She could imagine his roguish grin, and practically see the wink. "See you at school."

"Baka," she half said to herself, half to the empty air.

* * *

"So I've decided, D-Chan. I'm going to ask him. I'll ask him today." It felt like she was trying to convince herself to do it, rather than admitting who it was. Yuka stood at the gates of Furinkan High School, duck in arms.

Reality set in.

"I can't take you in here!"

"Hey! Yuka!" Sayuri jogged over to her. "Ranma's looking for you."

"Ranma?"

Muu Tsu cocked his head. 'It's about time. . .' After all, one of the first orders he gave when he realized his robe was missing was for Ranma to bail Muu Tsu out of any embarrassing situations concerning Jusenkyo curses.

Not that this was embarrassing.

But it could be.

Oh, it could be.

"Yeah. He asked me if I had picked up some glasses somewhere. Then he asked if I knew where you were." She noticed the duck in Yuka's arms. "Yuka, why did you bring your pet duck to school? Teacher's not going to like-"

"I wasn't thinking clearly. So, you are going to the dance with Daisuke, right?"

"Yes." She was very crisp and clear. No doubt in her voice. "Why?"

"No reason." Yuka sighed. "My kingdom, my kingdom for a date."

Nabiki clapped her hands softly and appeared from no-where. "Not bad. Kuno-baby hasn't said that one for months."

"Nabiki. What do you want." Yuka hugged Muu-Tsu a little tighter. It had taken her ages to pay off her last debt to the loan shark. And that was on "friend of the family" rates.

She smiled disarmingly. "Nothing. I just happen to have some information about the person you were planning on asking to the dance." The Ice Queen folded her arms, and the gestured with the one on top, displaying a fifty-yen coin. "Interested?"

"Not today, Nabiki." She tried to imagine what the middle Tendo could possibly have on the guy. "My credit's no good to you. I don't feel like taking part in your next slave auction."

"Why, Yuka! I'm shocked. I never said-"

"-a word about money? You didn't have to. I need all the yen I can get." She took a deep breath. "How much."

D-chan squawked and flapped. Yuka dropped him. Feathers and black rose petals mingled in the air as Kodachi bounced by on her way to St. Bacchus.

"OH-HOHOHHOHhohohohohohohohohohoho-"

The cackle faded into the distance as everyone tried to get back to the subject at hand.

"Fine. How much, Nabiki."

"One favor. Whenever I need it."

Yuka gulped. Nabiki had a very evil glint in her eye that she didn't like. The loan shark had to have had something in mind.

"If I can. . . if it is in my power. . . and is not. . . less than honorable by any stance. . . outside of a slave auction, which I shall NOT take part in, I accept."

"Done." Nabiki turned to Sayuri. "Would you mind giving the two of us a bit. You can see her inside." Yuka nodded to her friend and Sayuri reluctantly walked inside.

"You have your promise. Tell me."

"He has a date. You were too late."

'No.' Yuka felt a tear well up in her eye. He was the most reasonable choice, and someone else had gotten to him first. "She. . . she can have him."

"Don't care to know who it is?"

"It doesn't matter. I'll see them at the dance." Yuka closed her eyes. "Is that all?"

"Unless you want to add anything to your. . . service, yes."

"Ari-arigato." She bowed slightly and whirled away.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Nabiki smiled wryly at the retreating figure. 'Now where did that duck go?'

* * *

Ryouga walked right up to Akane, searching for Ranma. But Ranma, at that second, was being chatted up by Ukyou.

And Muu Tsu, a human once again, watched it all from the rooftops with his second-rate glasses.

Akane and Ryouga talked, Akane gesturing, and Ryouga nearly breaking down the neighborhood with stray fists to the wall.

Around the corner, Ukyou and Ranma were talking animatedly as well, which would have ended with him getting a spatula to the cheek if he knew what was coming.

The pairs bumped into each other.

Akane and Ukyou, oblivious to the men on their arms, spoke in heated voices, each one rising in a crescendo about something.

Ranma glared at Ryouga, who was looking very smug while holding onto Akane's hand.

The words that came out of Ranma's mouth surprised everyone present.

"Ryouga can't go with you, Akane. You asked me last night."

"When! I never-"

"Think."

"She obviously doesn't remember, and doesn't want to," interjected Ryouga.

"I didn't hear someone ask for your input P-Chan, did you?"

* * *

Yuka was all out of options. When Akane finally got to class, she announced that she would be going with Ryouga. Hiroshi had a date as well. 

She had no-one.

Stopping by Uc-chans lunch stall, she bought a steaming okonomiyaki. The sauce tickled her nose as she moved across the open yard.

It wasn't her fault, really.

She sat on the grass not far from the football court, watching some of the other kids playing unorthodox martial arts soccer.

"Yuka! There you are!"

Ranma was racing in her general direction when she saw someone cutting him off at the pass with long black hair.

"Saotome! Where are my glasses!"

"Uh, never mind, Yuka. Hey, Mousse. . . they're on your face."

"Not this pair, the pair I-"

Yuka squinted. It was him. Mystery Man. She trashed the rest of her okonomiyaki. It wasn't like she was feeling like finishing it anyway.

Bravely she walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ex-excuse me. . . I- uh- I found these glasses. . . do you think they're yours?" Her knees almost buckled. For a second, she almost thought he recognized her.

Not that he would. He only saw her with his glasses for a few minutes. A few minutes.

But still. . . "And. . . I was going to ask-"

He took the glasses from her and his vision snapped into place. Despite himself, he gasped. The voice matched. It was the girl.

"I was going to ask you to-"

"Hey, Yuka. . ." Ranma had decided to save Muu Tsu from a potentially embarrassing experience. "I think I saw-"

"-whatyournameis."

The Amazon blinked. Ranma blinked. Yuka felt like she had made a horrible mistake. But it did make sense. She didn't know his name.

"Muu Tsu" he replied in Mandarin.

"Well, Muu Tsu, would you- would you consider going to the dance with me Friday night? If your- your-" 'plum-top' "girlfriend didn't- didn't ask you."

* * *

**Watches Nabiki distribute yen to all the people who voted on Muu Tsu. Way to go! I am usually a gigantic Ranma/Akane shipper, but we all know that Ms. Takahashi likes to mix up couples too. I was originally going to have her ask Hiroshi, but what fun would that be? And I didn't really give her a chance to ask Ryouga. . . so here we are.**

**I really hope this made up for the lateness. I hope the next chapter will be just as good.**

**And you do want another chapter, right?**

**You do know what it takes. Send me your comments! Send me your criticisms! Send me to hell in a handbasket! Just don't send me into fits of crying and insanity. I have enough of those already.**

Thanks!


	12. Honor! Freedom! And the Neriman Way!

**Disclaimer: Oh, screw this. You know I don't own anything of real value. Except. . . huggles toe socks But otherwise, I have nothink! Nothink! If you would be sueing me, you would find yourself in debt to your lawyers as I have nothink to my name. Thank you.**

**Hey, all! Back for more? Are you sufficiently recovered from the last chapter? Good. Because this chapter is brought to you by:**

**Anime Music Videos, Flax Oil, and Celestial Seasonings Magical Mint Herbal Tea. They are sustaining me this week. I love 'em!**

* * *

Xian Pu stopped at the edge of the Furinkan Schoolyard. She could see three figures clustered together, and she tried to shake off the strange feeling of claws wanting to appear without the help of cold water. How dare she…

"Airen! Airen!" She plowed her bike through the crowd straight up to the trio while Muu Tsu was still registering exactly what he had been asked. (Leave it to Xian Pu to break up a good thing.) Xian Pu quickly hopped off and glomped Ranma. "Airen go to dance with Shampoo, yes?"

"Get offa me, Shampoo."

"Xian Pu, my love!"

Yuka watched this all with wide eyes. She had seen it before. . . when you're a friend of Akane's you're bound to see it at least once- a month. It was never quite so personal.

'I see. She loves Ranma. Of course. Everyone loves Ranma. I knew I had seen her somewhere before."

Muu Tsu was plowed into the ground by Xian Pu's bonbori.

'And he loves her. How could I ever. . .'

Yuka, in Akaneish fashion, stepped on Muu Tsu's back, looked over her shoulder, and said, "Silly me. You wouldn't possibly go with me. Of course, some people," she looked over at Xian Pu, "don't realize exactly what they have while they grab for something they cannot."

Stomping off, she swore that the dance was two days away, and if she had to ask all the kami in the great plane above, she would have a date. And she would not regret the fact that she didn't give Muu Tsu a chance to answer.

"He didn't have to talk. His actions spoke volumes." Yuka shook her head after class and waved to Sayuri and Akane standing by a tree.

"Yuka! There's going to be a fight in the schoolyard with that hidden weapons expert and Ranma! Are you going to watch?" Sayuri looked very interested and Akane almost looked indifferent. Almost. She knew that Ranma could hold his own against the Amazon. That wasn't what was bothering her.

"No." 'It's probably over Xian Pu.'

"Hey, Akane. How many times has Ranma wiped the floor with that guy?" asked Sayuri.

"Outside of little bouts of sparring and dodging arrows? A few."

Yuka sank to her knees. No-one here knew. Well, at least Nabiki hadn't gotten around to selling the information yet.

"What's wrong? Yuka, are you okay?" A lone tear tracked down her face. "Yuka, answer me!"

"I- I'm all right." She managed a smile despite the leaden weight in her stomach. "Let's go see that fight, you guys."

"Are you sure? We could just go home."

"No, Akane. I- I really want to see it. Let's go."

* * *

"For the last injustice, you have received my challenge."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I didn't accept Xian Pu's invitation!" Ranma dropped into a ready stance, preparing himself. "I accept your challenge, though." He loosened the kinks in his neck. "If I win, you release me from slavehood."

"And if I win, you give up your claim on Xian-"

"Xian Pu. Let's get this over with. I want to spend the rest of my day doing stuff I actually want to do."

Yuka sat on the grass and hailed the person circling the grounds selling cotton candy. If she was going to watch, she might as well have cotton candy.

Her vision suddenly darkened.

"You really shouldn't eat that, Yu-Chan." Beneath someone else' hands, Yuka's eyes narrowed. Only one person still called her that, and the voice behind her definitely wasn't her mother's. "It'll rot your teeth."

"Who are you?" She didn't hear her voice shake, but she felt it.

"You know me. Think hard."

Kinnosuke? Mikado? No, he sounded more like- "Hiroshi?"

The hands drew back from her eyes, letting in the light.

"Hey. Interesting fight, dontcha think?"

"Yeah. The stakes are the same as always, though. Freedom for freedom."

Ranma and Muu Tsu gave neither quarter, and there was no room for mistakes. Yuka watched as the Amazon sent item after item in Ranma's direction, and the young Saotome took it all in stride. It was obvious that with all of his blocking, Ranma was the fight's essence and not to be taken lightly.

"Yuka, do you know who this fight is about?"

"That Shampoo chick from the Cat Café."

Hiroshi grinned to himself. So she didn't know. "Nope. That's just the stakes."

Yuka's eyes widened. "Then who-"

"As if you didn't know."

"TELL ME!" Yuka realized that she had grabbed Hiroshi by the shirt, and dropped him as soon as she saw that she was drawing attention to herself. Smiling disarmingly, she sat down and watched the fight continue. Her distraction hadn't fully jarred the warriors from their fight. However, it had allowed Ranma to take the offensive.

Punch, Punch, parry. Block block block, kick low, swipe high. Chestnut fist. Parry.

Standard Ranma operating procedure.

* * *

"You know, Sayuri, it used to be different. There were few martial artists. There were no Amazons. The Cat-Fist was unheard of. Jusenkyo curses were nonexistent."

"And most of the martial artists around here could be K.O.d by Akane any day of the week all the way to Sunday." Yuka and Sayuri shared a small smirk.

"Yeah, now it's complicated." 'Especially when you make yourself known in their world.'

"That reminds me. Nabiki told me she wanted to see you about completing her deal. It seems as though she's doing well."

'Nabiki. Lovely. One more thing to watch my back for.'

"I'll keep an eye out for her." Her gaze fixed on Muu Tsu's shadow retreating into the setting sun towards the Cat Café. "Are you going to tell me who the fight was about? Or do I have to go see the gossip shark?"

"As if you didn't know. . . "

"Would everyone PLEASE quit saying that!"

"Nabiki said that you asked the Chinese kid out. I wasn't too surprised by that, we were talking about him the other day and all, but you could've told me." Yuka winced as Sayuri shot an electric glare in her direction. "Anyway, she said you rescinded your invitation before he could answer, and that girl- Shampoo? She asked Ranma to the dance, and he turned her down flat, saying that Akane had asked him, followed by Ukyo. Well, you know and I know that she asked Ryouga, but Ranma swore she had asked him last night, giving him precedence. Well, Shampoo decided to get even, so she asked the other kid-"

"Muu Tsu"

"Mousse?" 'Oh, yeah. I had forgotten his name.' Sayuri continued, "Mousse to the dance, but he was honor bound to answer your invitation even though you had left. Shampoo got angry then and rode off. That Mousse kid then roared something to the effect of 'How dare you ruin my chance, Saotome! Prepare to die!' and then he issued his formal challenge. He lost." Yuka nodded silently. "Again. Not only did he lose the battle, he lost Ranma as his slave. . . . I think that's it."

Silence dropped.

"Sayuri. . . according to the rules of the Girl's Day dance, he still has to answer me, right?"

"I guess so."

"Do you think he'd actually say yes? After hugging Xian Pu like that, do you really think he'd say yes?"

"I dunno, Yuka." Ranma-chan hopped down from the fence he was walking on behind them, listening. "But it's worth the risk."

"Ah, hello, O winner of all the fights that matter. Enjoying your freedom?" asked Sayuri.

Ranma turned three cartwheels, a triple backwards tuck, and landed.

"Yup."

Something was niggling at Yuka's mind.

"Hey, Ranma, when did Akane 'ask' you?"

"Last night."

"When, Ranma?"

"I dunno. Ten, I guess."

"What was she doing?"

Ranma frowned. "Sleeping."

'Sleeping. Well that explains a lot.'

"She opened her eyes and looked right at me when she said it, though." 'They were glazed over, but they were open.'

"What exactly were you doing in her room at night, anyway?" interjected Sayuri.

"I. . . er. . . I. . . was returning. . . a. . . a. . ." Ranma gulped visibly, "hair comb."

"A hair comb!" Both Furinkan girls were incredulous.

"Hey, I had borrowed it for part of Muu Tsu's treasure hunt. He forced me to go on a dinner date with Kuno." A chill slipped past his shoulders, and the warrior shuddered. "The best part of the night was the steak."

"He made you go on a date with Kuno. Why?"

"Well. . . that was the only way I could get the rules for the Girl's Day dance. He used to have the only copy at his house." Yuka nodded. It made sense; Principal Pina-Kunolada always read them before the Girl's Day Festival commenced.

"But didn't Nabiki have a copy?" asked Sayuri. Ranma-chan shook his head.

"Nope- well, not for a decent selling price. And even though they would've worked, Muu Tsu wanted the real thing." He paused, and then continued. "Her eyes were open. She asked me. I said yes. I'm honor bound." 'Ryouga's claim is null and void.' His blue eyes turned to Yuka, who felt the pain in them. "Until Mousse says otherwise, he's gotta to answer you. And he knows it."

* * *

**Oh, no. I'm not through with our little friends yet. Just like everything else in Nerima, the Girl's Day Dance is a competition, too. There are rules. It's just not a martial arts competition. It's one of honor, sweetness, or other means that make the ends feasible. Hey, what did you expect? In Nerima, life is never simple.**

**I also think Hiroshi and Yuka would be cute together, but they sorta grew up together- hence Yu-Chan. You see why she almost asked him? And no, I'm not gonna say who asked him just yet.**

**Here it is-**

**You want more, you know what to do. If you have ideas, and you think you know some other Neriman Girl's Day Festival/Dance rules, leave 'em in your review. Do you like? Do you hate? Is there anyone out there?(taps on monitor) Hel-lo-o-o-o. . .**


	13. Looking back, Moving foward

**Disclaimer: Yeah. I own Yuka. I own Muu Tsu. I own Xian Pu. I own Akane. I own Ukyou. I own Ryouga. I own Nabiki. I own Sayuri. I own Hiroshi. I own Daisuke. I own Kasumi. I own Happosai. I own Kuno. I own Kho Lon. I own Ranma.**

**Sure, and while I'm at it, I'm the Easter Bunny, Santa Clause, and the Tooth Fairy.**

**You believe all that, and I've got a map of Ryouga's travels to sell you.**

**Hi, all! (listens to voice echo against the empty fanfic walls) Wow. I've been going over what's been written so far, and decided that I either need to re-write the early chapters or seriously clean up major plot holes. My poor laptop just can't take the stress like it used to!**

* * *

Elder Kho Lon picked up a scroll from the floor just outside Muu Tsu's room.

'Careless of Muu Tsu to leave something like this lying around,' she mused, reading the inscription on the outside. "Hmm…"

'Xian Pu never mentioned any rules. This dance might be more trouble for her than we had expected.'

Xian Pu was not having a good day. Ranma refused her invitation to the dance. That bothered her, but she knew that there were other ways of getting him to go with her. Just in case he wouldn't, she asked Muu Tsu. And his refusal was a slap in the face.

Honor. Xian Pu sneered at the memory. Honor has no meaning in Japan, not concerning the women here, even less if she is no warrior.

Amazon honor is based on strength, not precedence of speech.

The bike rolled over pavement as she balanced a box of ramen on her shoulder. She was getting so much better about not spilling the ramen in the last few years that she could leap roofs with her bicycle if she wanted to. Not that she would. Well, not right now.

She had felt such rage towards him- hurt, dismissal, and anger. It was his chance, danmit! He had to go with her. If she wasn't good enough for. . .

Her Amazon pride swelled within her.

She'd make him pay.

She'd make them both pay.

* * *

A shiver tickled the nape of Yuka's neck and traveled down her spine. Something electric paused her movements mid step, and at that second a fear crept into her mind without rhyme or reason. 

"Yuka?" Sayuri waved a hand in front of her friend's face.

"Wha-? Oh, um. Heh. . . heh. . . "

"Are you all right? Ever since Ranma left, you've been acting strange. It's less than a kilometer to your house, but you're welcome to come inside until my dad can give you a ride home if you aren't feeling well."

"It's nothing, honest. Just a chill, that's all." Sayuri noted that the day was unusually warm and muggy. Luckily, she kept it to herself and looked sympathetically at her friend.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Are you going to be able to pick a dress for the dance?"

'If I go at all.' "Of course."

"All right. We're almost two meters from my house, so I suggest we dump our stuff in my room and make tracks for the mall. Sound good?"

"Good enough." Shopping did sound like fun, even if she couldn't use the dress until the following year.

They shared a grin. Sayuri glowed as she saw Yuka's eyes light up for the first time in quite a while.

* * *

To say Ukyou was mad at Ranma would be an understatement. In fact, it would be the understatement of the year. Possibly the millennia. 

As Ukyou's body was cooking okonomiyaki, her mind traveled back to the moment when the bomb fell.

_She was about to ask him to the dance -her first Girl's Day Dance- when Akane and Ryouga crossed their path._

_Looking over at Her RanChan, Akane began arguing with Ukyou over something that seemed so important at the time. It was about RanChan, that was obvious. It was almost like Akane was not so much upset about her date, but upset that Akane hadn't had the chance to ask Ranma herself._

_But Ranma. . ._

_Ranma said she had._

_And the shock on her face- on both of their faces- would have frozen the kami plane._

_If she could have moved, she would have grabbed for her spatula and knocked some sense into him, her, any of them._

_Instead, she felt the waves of emotion wash over her body like standing on the ocean's rising tide. With every wave, she felt a new anguish._

_"Ran. . . Chan?"_

_"You kicked me out of your room!"_

_"Only after you snuck in!" Ryouga unhitched his umbrella as Akane threw those words to her fiancée._

_"I didn't sneak in! I knocked, and you mumbled 'Come in'."_

_"How DARE you sneak into Akane's room!" Ryouga lept at Ranma, and Ukyou was instantly tossed aside as Ranma dodged the attack, releasing her._

_"I told you, I didn't! And who are you to speak anyway, P-Chan?"_

_And the fight began-_

Her consciousness blurred back to the present.

Akane had asked him first.

Her spatula shook involuntarily. The smile on her face dropped completely the very second that the last person was seated and served. A tear rolled down her cheek. She turned away from the griddle to take a break in the back.

She really needed a break from all of this.

'Oh, RanChan. . .'

* * *

"That dress is really pretty on you, Sayuri!"

In front of three mirrors, the dark-haired schoolgirl twirled, enjoying the feel of netting on her legs.

"Do you really think so? It's sort of low in the back."

Yuka felt herself grin. "That's the way some men like it." Her eyes played over the blue-purple dress on Sayuri, and couldn't help but think about how it might have looked on her.

Sayuri looked over her shoulder and smiled, but also felt a bit worried for her friend. 'She hasn't tried on a dress all afternoon.' Picking up the skirt, she realized that she was severely in need of a few inches off the bottom. Nothing the right pair of heels couldn't fix.

"Well, now all we need to do is find one for you."

Looking away, Yuka felt her icy resolve dripping away. The sheets of chiffon and silk and satin on hangars all called to her, but she couldn't possibly-

"After all, you said that your mom isn't going to let you come home that evening. You're staying the night at my house and you're going to the dance."

'She's right. I'm not allowed go home. And I'm staying the night at her house.' "But-"

"Ah-ah. No way are you backing out of this. Now, do you want to pick out a dress here or go elsewhere?"

Autopilot took over, and Yuka tentatively wandered over to the sale rack where she had seen the one she almost tried on. It was simple, elegant, and blue. Very blue. The blue of twilight, sparkled with diamond-like chips on the brocade.

And absolutely perfect.

"You should try it on." Yuka jumped a mile. 'Nabiki.' She slowly turned to face the middle Tendo.

"And I would, if I had a reason." Her hand left the dress and instinctively clutched her purse. "I heard you wanted to speak with me." She watched as the very demeanor in Nabiki's flippant-yet-business voice took over the ice queen's entire body.

"You owe me one favor. Recently, Genma Saotome acquired some bottles of liquor from your father's inventory under false pretenses. I need that debt forgiven." Nabiki's eyes drilled holes into her already shaky defenses from earlier that morning. "And I believe you can do it. You settled on the final price, and it was brought to my attention."

Yuka grappled at a few select shreds of sane ideas, but could only come up with one. "My father, he- he finalizes all the deals. I told him as soon as he came home that night, but the number I had given Ranma was an estimate. And as much as I'd like to just forget the whole thing, we sold some solid products for the promise of Yen and a stolen duck. The duck has been returned to his real owner. The sake is still unpaid for." She looked into Nabiki's eyes. "You know how hard it is to pay the bills when you give away things for free."

Nabiki smirked. The sixteen year old in front of her didn't realize- Nabiki Tendo never does anything for free. But she did have a point, it was out of Yuka's hands. The hand on her hip slipped to her side as she considered the options. She could make up a task on the spot. Or. . .

"Well, I suppose you could-"

"Nabiki Tendo, I despise standing in the women's department." Nabiki visibly sighed and called to Kuno, standing less than three meters away on the tile portion of the floor near the exit. Yuka hadn't even noticed him

"One minute, Kuno-baby. If you're so bored, go wait outside." He grumbled and went. "Now, where were we. . . Oh, yes. You could be stay on my 'favors owed' list, but most people like them taken care of right away."

"I told you, it's out of my hands."

"In that case, be prepared at any time." Nabiki was almost upset that she would have to tell Ranma that she couldn't clear his father's debt. He was prepared to do a photo shoot for it. A real photo shoot! Not just compromising pictures taken with her Nikon 35mm.

"Fine." It came out of Yuka's mouth sounding a heck of a lot braver than she felt.

Under the early stars, Muu Tsu was leaping rooftops for the sake of running. It was driving him insane, the way that he knew the rules, and, for once, could not ignore them. He asked for them. He wanted them.

And he knew all of them by the end of the evening.

End of one roof. _'shoom, thud'_ Beginning of the next._ 'thum, thum, thum, thum'_

Leap, Land.

Two girls walked on the street next to him, not noticing the Amazon entity above them. But he saw them, and halted. If Muu Tsu was not as good at leaping on shale as he was, some of the roof tiles would have skittered down the sides. Luckily, they didn't.

And his keen ears picked up their conversation as it got closer.

"Yuka, I think I forgot one of the rules for the Girl's Day Dance. I mean, I know the one about asking and annulment of answers. I remember the section where it said you had to be awake when asking, under that. It said that guys couldn't be manipulated through things like potions and hypnosis."

"That would really mess with any plans you had about dancing with your date."

"Yeah. And I remember that fights were allowed to break out over guys, but were not- what's the word?"

"Encouraged."

"That's it. They weren't encouraged. The dress for the dance is formal, and the festival can be attended in either clothes. It also said something about outsiders and first years."

"First-year girls can ask people to the dance, but they can't ask another first year student. I think there might be special stipulations, but I can't remember."

"Right, something about fiancées and honor of the matron's wishes." Sayuri growled in frustration. "I oughta know thi-" Her eyes widened. "YUKA! BEHIND YOU!"

* * *

**Uh, oh. We all know that Nerima's not safe to walk around at twilight, just how unsafe is it? Will Yuka make it to the dance in one piece to pay her favor to Nabiki? Send reviews in my general direction, and you may find out.**

**If not, I fear that I must use the tired old threat of an updatedless fic. Besides, I want to know how I'm doing for Ukyo. I don't want to base her on fanfics, but I don't have very many mangas with her in my personal library yet. And I really, really gotta see the anime!**


	14. Neriman Dreamsicle Mmmmm

**Disclaimer: Er, haven't done this in a while (shuffles papers) Ah, here it is. I, Aqua Rosewater, do declare that I have not now, nor ever loved a bishounen more than- Hey! That's not the one (shuffles papers some more) Sorry about that. (clears throat and reads off paper in front of her) I, Aqua Rosewater, do declare that I have not now, nor ever owned Ranma ½. So put that in your pipe and smoke it, lawyers.**

**God, it's been a long time. Waaaay too long. Over a month, in fact. Well, I hope this chapter makes up for my writer's block, which was followed by the time sucker known as Finals Week. Don't ask me my grades. I don't know. I don't think I want to know. If anyone is religious out there, pray for me.**

**Okay, on with the fic!**

* * *

"What!" Yuka turned quickly to see a ninja-like shadow disappeared into the dark on a bicycle. 

"I- I don't like this place," Sayuri said, and Yuka really couldn't agree with her more. "Let's get out of here."

"But we walk this way all the time." It was safe to say that Yuka's brave front was more to boost their own confidence, because it sure wouldn't fool any attackers in the early evening. From his perch on the roof, it certainly didn't fool Muu Tsu.

"Y-yeah. But still-" _'splash, clatter, Meowwll'_ "Did you hear that?"

"Some cat knocked over a bike and a trash can lid." I rather suddenly got the image of Ranma in the Neko-ken, but then shook it off. "Come on." The cat was walking rather daintily at a distance, shaking off her hind paws as they were wet. "We aren't really all that far from your house, right?"

"Nope, not far at all." Sayuri hoisted her dress bag farther off the ground and over her right shoulder. Yuka found herself suddenly glad not to be carrying anything.

"Hey, are you OK with that thing?"

"Yeah, I'm just glad I found one. And you aren't getting out of this that easy, you know. . ."

"I know, I know. I just need to find one, that's all" 'in a store without Nabiki-' she glanced over her shoulder. "I know this sounds weird, but do you have any fish or meat on you?"

Sayuri's look was the picture of surprise. "No, why?"

"I think we're being followed."

"What? Where?" Before she could whirl around, Yuka grabbed her elbow.

"I know this sounds weird, but I think there's a cat following us."

Sayuri looked to the right, then the left, then behind them. And ordinary little cat with purple fur was sniffing at a fish skeleton in the lamplight. As soon as Sayuri's head looked away, she wrinkled her nose and waited for them to start moving again.

"Yuka, isn't that the cat that usually puts Ranma in the Neko-ken?"

"Every cat puts him in the Neko-ken."

"If it follows us home, Dad'll have a fit. 'We can't afford a pet' or somesuch like that." She glanced back one last time and took a deep breath. "Let's just go. What's the worst it could do to us."

Xian Pu hissed in spite of her amazing Amazon calm.

_'Tup, tup, tup, tup'_ Their feet sounded hollow against the high walls of the neighbors. They would be home soon. Very soon.

_'Thum, thum, thum, thum'_ Leap, Land. Muu Tsu was at it again, trying to keep pace. There was no telling what Xian Pu could be up to, following Yuka like that- but she shouldn't really be of any concern to her. Not really.

The problem was, when Yuka asked Muu Tsu to the dance, she unknowingly laid a challenge. Normally, such a challenge would go generally unnoticed, but when Xian Pu discovered it the challenge became an obstacle.

'Girl is an obstacle. . . obstacle for kil-' the Purple cat paused midstep. She didn't have any weapons, but would easily have Yuka outmatched. A small neko-smile formed on her muzzle. If she didn't remember asking him. . .

"Do you have your key?"

"I thought I had my key."

"Where's your key?"

Sayuri furiously searched her pockets and finally was rewarded with a small silver object for her troubles. In went the key to the lock, and the door swung wide.

Yuka held open the screen door for a second, watching a purple cat leap down the street apparently in pursuit of some invisible string. That didn't stop her from continuing to glance over her shoulder the rest of the way home- especially when she thought she saw a shadow on a nearby rooftop. Then again, shadows were fairly common on rooftops in Nerima.

* * *

"Go to bed, kiddo." 

"But I'm on the phone!" Yuka's dad would hear none of it.

"You have school, it's late. I want to go to bed. Your mother wants to go to bed. You are going to bed."

Yuka sighed. "Hey, Sayuri? Dad says I gotta letcha go."

"I thought so. Now go to bed. We are so getting you a dress tomorrow."

Yuka was too tired to argue, and so mumbled good night and hung up the phone.

"Good Girl. Now get some rest, kiddo."

A quick hug and she stumbled her way to her room, kicking off her shorts and generally not looking out the window. If she had, she would have seen a girl with a spatula hopping roofs with a sack on her shoulder, a boy with long white robes sitting on one nearby, and a boy with a yellow bandana on the street.

Instead, she fell asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

I know this place. I can reach out my hand and touch the walls and feel the school's energy course through me. I think that's what Ranma feels like when he channels his Ki. . . I like the feeling. It's soothing. 

It's new. It's different. It's changing. It's the schoolyard.

It has fighting with Akane and some other chick. . . Ranma? Ranma-chan. I watch for a bit, but before too long, my legs tug me away from the one-on-one matchup. I have to get to class.

Walking past Kuno-Sempai, I feel a slight shiver. Despite his tendency to speak in haiku, I'd still place him at a low brain capacity. He seemed to be quoting from Romeo and Juliet, but that couldn't be it- he was dressed like a samauri. After he finishes the Queen Mab speech, he guzzles a large quantity of sake, which Nabiki turns up to pay me for. I soundlessly accept the notes, counting them as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Before the bell rings, I reach my class via elevator.

I don't think the elevators ever had so many buttons before.

The classroom is the dull yellow of pollen. I can see the desk I sit in, the desk Sayuri sits in, the desk Akane sits in, the desk Ranma sits in, the desk Daisuke sits in, the desk Hiroshi. . . Hiroshi?

What is Hiroshi doing here?

Taking class, of course. I'm out of my seat. The teacher knows that she called me up to the board for a reason, but can't remember. It must have been for that gigantic math problem on the board.

2+2 equals 5.

No, that can't be right.

2+2 equals 3.

No, that's not right either.

The teacher tells me that I should get out more, and so I leave the room. Just like that, I wander outside with no real purpose. Hiroshi follows me, pulling my hair like he did back when we were in grade school together. I swing my hand to slap him, but he changes, becoming a much taller young man with black hair. He catches it easily.

"You aren't my sort of girl." He testily glances over my shoulder, then back at me. "I like my women strong."

Without his glasses, he wouldn't know a strong woman from a weak one, but I couldn't argue with him for some reason. It was like there was power in his eyes. A strange sort of power that I could almost drown in. Like he was draining me of all the energy I might have had. I felt very limp.

He releases my hand, and I fall into my body

* * *

Yuka looked over at her alarm clock. Four more hours to sleep. And she couldn't have been more awake. 

She lifted her head just a bit, wishing for sleep again.

And when it finally came, she did not dream.

* * *

**Yes, it was short. Hopefully I will get back to the story as we know it, but bear with me. This writers block has really started to get on my nerves. If you ARE still reading it, then drop me some lines so I know that there is an audience still out there.**

**A gigantic Thank You and a hug goes out to everyone reading this chapter- but especially to:**

**Millie Nomina and GriffinMiraur- I continued it! It's like, the shortest chapter I've ever written, but I know that the next one will be way longer. Otaku by Day, Goth by Night- Thanks for your encouragement. Without your e- mail, I don't know when I would have gotten back to writing this. You're awesome. (And yes, I did get the dream inspiration from you. Be flattered, not wary. I promise to steer clear of other ideas.)**

**Butterfly- Wish my luck with Ukyo. . . and let me know if she slips OOC. Thanks for sticking by me!**


	15. Someone to Watch Over Me

**Disclaimer: Wow... How long has it been? I've even lost my sparkly toe socks! But I haven't lost Mousse. Or Yuka, Xian Pu, and I really, really think I have a better grasp of Ukyo- but I need people to tell me! As always- all Ranma 1/2 charries belong to Rumiko Takahashi.**

**Not that she'll ever catch wind of this little fic. **

**Please, please, please review! I want to know if I've learned anything since my creative writing class! Thank you!**

* * *

He watched her with the passive calm of a winter breeze, the autumn air chilling him as his thoughts whirled. Xian Pu had given up for the evening, apparently. Thank the Kami. If she'd somehow… somehow done something to hurt her… 

Not that she should matter to him- of course she shouldn't matter to him.

It was all his fault that she'd gotten involved. He watched her through the window, glasses down over his eyes. Maybe… maybe… he should say yes. As much as he hated to admit it, Ranma was right. This was... his decision. His choice.

And the thought of Xian Pu asking him, he leaned against a staff pulled from his robe. Both hands clung to it, his eyes gazing across the rooftops at the open window where he'd been spending the odd night as D-chan.

Ukyo pounced from one rooftop to the next, finally landing on the other side of Muu Tsu's roof.

"Hello, there…" He smirked wryly, not looking back over his shoulder. "Lovely night for a stroll, don't you think, Kuonji Ukyo?"

She paused midstep. "Mousse? That you?" Abandoning her pursuit of the lost boy, for the time being, she knelt beside the hidden-weapons specialist.

"The one and only." He'd been watching her out of the corner of his coke-bottles all evening… none of the other Nerimans appeared to be out, and her footfalls were too light to be confused with Ryougas.

"You're out awfully late tonight, sugar." Ukyo watched Ryouga turn a corner, and let out a little sigh. So much for finding out what Ranma had meant. But perhaps it would be easier just to ask him herself. If only he'd… he'd… She sighed softly. "Then again, I suppose I am, too."

"Perhaps that's because I'm waiting for the rain." The wind teased both of their hair, forcing them back with the bitterness for a moment.

"It's like ice out here, Mousse. You might want to get back to the Cat Café. Won't you be missed?" Muu Tsu lifted his glasses up to his forehead. Vanity, Pride? His vision blurred and distorted the blue skyline as the window fell from his vision.

"Feh. I won't be missed… Not until the morning. No… when the sun rises, then everything will go back to the way it was the day before last… and the day before that. So I'll take this evening and do with it what I please."

Ukyo slid her spatula onto her back. "How many days until this is all over? Really?"

The Amazon boy chuckled. "You're asking me? You were involved long before I was, remember? Or do I have my facts wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Xian Pu's claim on Ranma is the last, but she's very aggressive. She doesn't give up until she had what she wants…" He squinted at the windowsill, dropping his glasses into position- a shadow- there! A cat? No… a leaf. "So I have the terrible habit of fighting against the ghost of a suitor." He flipped his glasses back up to his forehead again, glancing over at the blurry okonomiyaki artist. "Perhaps you know how that is."

Ukyo's mouth dropped open. It didn't make sense. He wasn't giving up on Shampoo. His voice, his thoughts. Even so… "So this could continue for… years…"

"Years, Months, Days." A faint scent caught his nose, and he flipped his glasses down again. "If you'll excuse me…"

'_thumthumthum' 'leap, land' _And again… That lemon-curry scent- It would be heading towards- He spun on his heel only to see something dark crossing Yuka's roof. It was a silhouette he'd recognize anywhere. 'NO.'

* * *

Three more hours to sleep. 

A shadow-figure drops to her windowsill, and her eyes almost flutter open, barely registering the scent of curry and the zing of lemon. 'So, if you can speak Mandarin…' She hadn't bothered to test it on the other girl, she knew that if there was any obstacle, it would be in the brown-haired girl before her.

"Delicious…" She spooned a mouthful into Yuka's mouth, and forced her to swallow. Her eyes glazed over- asleep, but not. Awake, but not. "You tell me what Mousse is to you."

The boy slipped silently to the window.

"He is… a dream." Xian Pu quirks her pouty lips into a smile.

"In Mandarin. Speak like an Amazon."

"He is… my dream." The change in possession was all she needed to hear. Raising a Bonbori high, Muu Tsu grabbed her wrist. "And I am nothing to him." They both turned towards the sleeping girl, watching her turn over.

"Nothing?" The mandarin word slipped past Xian Pu's lips before she could restrain it.

"Mmm… Nothing." The Amazon lowered her head in shame. What was she expecting to accomplish? Her eyes sparkled. Revenge, was it not? But this… this was not revenge. This was a defenseless child who'd never known war. She could not fight like Akane- nor like Ranma. She was…

"Let her sleep." Muu Tsu released her hand, unable to see her tears glitter briefly as she dashed out the window. There was no honor to be found in what she'd almost done.

Sparing one last glance at the drugged student, he began to follow the Amazon girl out the window. "Pleasant dreams, Yuka."

* * *

**Wow. I haven't touched this thing in years. I hope that I did all the characters justice, even where changes were concerned. If Yuka hadn't interrupted them, I can promise that there would have been a scene with Xian Pu wiping the floor with Muu Tsu.**

** Please, please press the little button that says "Review" and make my day.****  
**


	16. Wake Me Up Before You Go, Go

**All Right. I began this fic sometime in February of two years ago. I'm not going to probably finish it anytime soon, but I can tell you this much. (_clears throat_)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of Ranma ½ inc. That product and all affiliates currently belong to Viz and Rumiko Takahashi, and may both Akane and Ranma's wrath, as well as Ryouga's, Ukyo's, and possibly even Xian Pu's be upon anyone who claims to own them. Muu Tsu's wrath be upon anyone who steals my brand new rainbow-colored toe socks.**

* * *

A soft voice whispered at her ear, a sound that could have been the very wind itself, the morning air crisp.

"Maybe you shouldn't have asked me." A cool, clench, followed by the warmth of fire swirled inside the girl, and she would have opened her eyes, were she not meditating. The dojo was empty often now, and had been since her father had given up teaching.

"Maybe you shouldn't have snuck inside my room," said Akane.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said yes." Ranma-chan tapped Akane on one shoulder and dashed to the other just as she looked up. Swiping a hand out, she missed, fuming.

"Maybe you should've talked to me about it." Following the tap around to her other shoulder, she spun around.

"Talk to you? Hah! You'd rather hit me, baka." The ki swept down Akane's arm, forming her beloved mallet, as though to prove Ranma's point.

"You- YOU-" She swung it up, and for the first time in quite a while, Ranma-chan hopped up to balance on it. Tapping Akane on the nose with a toe, she looked down at her finacee.

"Got a telegram for you from Ryoga." She tossed it lightly and hopped off. "It's marked Dublin." Her voice was flat, her eyes dull. "Let me know if you've come to a decision."

When Akane looked up from the envelope, Ranma was gone.

* * *

Sleep had returned, dreamless at first.

But then, she began to see herself in a Chinese tea ceremony, but was interrupted by a geisha in bright red robes, hair pulled into black mouse-ear formations. She enticed her to speak about a man, a man that was standing in the corner of the room, their tea ceremony interrupted despite the zingy taste of lemon in her mouth.

And she knew, deep down, that the man was Muu Tsu. Despite the mask on his face, hiding his features, she would have known his frame, his robes, his hair… She told herself that she would recognize any of it. Or maybe it was just the sweeping motion of the hand the geisha made to the figure.

"He is my dream-" She began, but trailed, not finding the right words. Yes, he was in this dream- yes, she was sure it was a dream, but was he a dream? Was he her dream?

She'd turned in bed, her eyes catching a shadow leaving her window. Most likely a Neriman bouncing from one sill to the next. Nothing that hadn't happened before.

When Yuka fell asleep once more, she fell fast- and it wasn't until the jarring alarm crammed the room with noise that she woke.

"Gooooood morning you crazy cats and kittens! We'll be starting off this morning lineup with a hot-Hot-HOT request from a girl to her man. You're listening to Ze-Ze-Zeta One-oh-One (one oh one oh one oh one) in the morning with Ming Taukimi. We're sending a request out from Tsubasa to Ukyo. Ukyo, this one's for you."

Yuka slammed off her alarm, feeling quite ill. Woozy, the effects of the lemon-curry rice hadn't completely left her, and the placid waters of illusion were still moving swiftly as she slept.

If there had been a disclaimer to Kho Lon's recipe, it would have been along the lines of "Do not take immediately before sleeping." With no-one to ask for information, the spell turned inwards. Every little unanswered question in her subconscious was dissected, re-placed with another, and dissected again. Even though she woke remembering little, her body was swimming with knowledge and doubt. What was clear was muddied. What was supposed to be clear was reduced by a series of questions that only could have belonged to Socrates himself.

* * *

"Yuka!" Her mother called from below like an elephant's bellow. "Time to get up!"

The schoolgirl heaved herself from her bed, pajamas striped like a candy-cane. "I don't want to go." The waters stirred, but then stilled. "I'm not feeling well."

She watched her mother poke her head in the door. "That so?" Yuka felt her mother put a hand on her forehead. "You don't feel particularly warm. Does something hurt?"

"Here." She rubbed her stomach. "And here." She tapped the frizzy top of her head. "Like they're both being twisted." She swallowed softly. "Don't make me go to school. Please?"

"Yuka, does this have to do with-"

"Please, Mom. I don't want to go." The cool, soothing thoughts that coerced her into dreaming were slowly wandering away- one by one. "It feels like-"

"Get dressed, and I'll take your temperature. No temp, you go."

"But I-"

"Get dressed, I'll get the thermometer."

Defeated for the time being, Yuka felt her body slowly returning to normal, the walls of calm slipping away. "I… I…" She swallowed softly, her body resisting each movement. "I don't- want to!" She jerked the drawer open, but her mother was down the hall. Her hands gripped the handle of the drawer, white-knuckled.

Swiping out a few items, she tossed them reluctantly on her bed.

The childish nature of her anger was unchecked for a few minutes. She thrashed into her clothes and straightened her skirt. And then- finally, she felt the resistance fall away, as well as the throbbing in her brain. The stomachache remained.

* * *

Half an hour later, Yuka was on her way to school.

"Yuka!" Clenching her teeth, she heard Sayuri not far behind. Slowing up, she let her friend join her pace. "Yuka, what's wrong?"

"My father goes missing for days at a time, Nerima is full of freaks," her words flowed haltingly, "Akane never hangs with us anymore, Hiroshi has a date, You have a date, I haven't a clue what the lesson is for tonight in geography, and I miss- I miss…" Heat gathered behind her eyes and Sayuri dug for a Kleenex.

"Shhhh…" The dark-haired girl wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder.

A purple cat sat at the corner of the alley, looking at the girl with rather large and lonely eyes.

"It's… just…" Yuka allowed herself to be led to a nearby bench. "Maybe I don't belong here."

"Yuka, that doesn't even make sense. Of course you belong here." She glanced up to the clock at the top of the school. "We're going to be late."

Yuka swallowed softly. "Yes." She rose. "We will be."

* * *

**Ooooh… the angst. (_shudder_) Reviews, as always, are loved. And maybe they'll even make my next chapter go up quicker!**


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